Bit by Bit, Little by Little
by LivelyStevens
Summary: Lindsay told Mac that getting involved with someone from work was stupid, really stupid. Was she right? Lindsay/Danny. Danny fixing things when we weren't looking.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the beginning of another one...or just a one shot. You decide...**

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Lindsay paced back and forth on the catwalk above the main hall of the New York Police Department Crime Lab. It was seven paces one way then turn and go back. She'd been there before, on the day she shared information with Danny about his DNA in the grave at Giants' Stadium. She questioned her presence on the walkway that day a few years back much like she questioned her position presently. She was really setting herself up for a confrontation, something she hated in any circumstance, but she had to know. It'd been four long months of fake smiles, being cordial enough to get the job done and avoidance of each other at all other times. She knew the situation was affecting her personal life but it was also intruding on her professional one. She'd been called on it by Mac, who explained that he was just concerned. She had been foolish, slipped and someone noticed. She was pacing…trying to sort out her thoughts.

Danny made her so happy…at one time. It was all so simple between them. They innocently flirted at work, but her past became an issue and he backed off without disappearing from her life. He showed up in Montana and without touching or saying a word he held her up while she testified. Her heart opened that day to the possibilities between them and the flirting started again. She attacked him or him her, it's not quite clear, but with the assistance of a lot of alcohol she ended up snaked around him on top of his pool table. Her face and heart warmed at the vivid Technicolor memory.

Maybe that should have been a warning sign. It was too easy. Relationships should take work.

To keep their growing attraction and personal relationship out of the workplace the flirting became scarce and they almost forced professionalism. The simple was disappearing.

The memories stated to make her lose what gumption she had worked up. The talk with Mac had led her to some truths that contradicted what she felt. She had told him things to help him regain confidence in her and the ability to do her job. Danny and her feelings for him were a distraction that she needed to get past and move on with her life. But when she thought of the words that she said; when she thought about the reason for saying them, she was confused about the validity of each syllable. She needed someone else's view of the issue.

She paced some more, fidgeting with her hands in nervousness. Everything was so messed up in her brain, she didn't know how to sort them out or if she even wanted to. The idea of leaving New York had been considered. A recommendation from the great Mac Taylor would do her wonders when finding another job. She just didn't know where to go. No other place called to her like her new home. So the confusion and feeling of being lost needed to end so that she could do her job.

"Lindsay, what's up? You beeped me 911. You find my DNA at another scene?"

He still looked the same. He approached the same. He sounded the same. Her concern was the same. She felt the same. It was all too much, she was there to get answers to questions not take another stroll down memory lane. It didn't go unnoticed to her that he said 'Lindsay'. He didn't greet her with 'Montana', 'Monroe', or even 'Linds'. He called her 'Lindsay' and the canyon between them seemed to grown wider. "I just got finished with Mac down in the garage. I showed him what was found about the evidence in the cabbie case. He's gonna follow up on it."

"Good, good, but did it warrant the 911?" The stance he took widened and arms crossed his body at the chest.

She looked up from the floor, shook her hair from her face determined to go through with it and really looked into his face for the first time in a long time. "Mac also asked me if I was okay. Quinn informed him that I stormed out of the lab and away from you while processing the evidence and left it out when I left."

"I was right there, you know I would have covered."

She let out a sigh and stopped him from going any further. "I know, that's not the point though. Mac pointedly told me that I could not let whatever was or was not going on between us get in the way of my job and I have. It's already happened." Her eyes left the lock they had on his and back down to her hands. "I told him it was stupid to get involved with someone I worked with, really stupid." Quickly she brought her gaze back to his face and locked stares with him again. "Was I wrong in my comments to Mac? Was I stupid to get romantically involved with you?" She wanted to add so much more.

The silence was thick. She searched in his eyes for any kind of answer that he might have. People brushed passed them not knowing the heavy emotional conversation that was going on. Danny looked as if he had been slapped. Her straight forwardness shocked him.

The hesitation and silence on his part was making her mad and the longer he just stood there staring blankly at her the angrier she got. He had nothing of course to say. He wasn't expecting he day to proceed like that.

With nothing helpful coming from him, enlightening her in either direction, she walked off. She left him standing there to watch. The shift was completed swiftly, quietly and she left to get out of the building and to the safe haven of her home.

In her favorite stretched out sweat and her BPD t-shirt she was able to sit down and relax. The ball was in his court now, she said her piece. She gave him something to think about and maybe like every other man on the planet, he needed time to think. She hoped he would take too long. She wanted this out of her mind. All the possibilities were already thought through. They could strictly be coworkers working and solving cases. She did that with other people, she could be forced to do it again. They could be friends, but that meant a lot of work on his part. He broke what they had, he needed to fix it. Then there was that slight possibility that it went further than friends.

Later in the evening, a hesitant knock came on her door. There was no question who it was. No one else would come to the door at that hour and expect her to be awake and answer. Unfolding her legs from underneath her, she left the comfort of the couch to open the door to what might be a very unpleasant discussion.

Opening the door revealed a defeated Danny Messer propped up with a hand on each side of the door and his head hung low. It snapped up when the door was fully open and she stood against it waiting. She had nothing more to say to him. It was his turn now.

"You are one of the most intelligent women I know. You keep me on my toes at every turn and you challenge me to be a better CSI and person. Don't ever call yourself 'stupid'. The term doesn't fit."

She held a posture of defiance. His words were meant to be a compliment, but she didn't feel it. "If it wasn't stupidity that led me to our relationship than what was it? I knew your track record. I heard the rumors. I should have known. I should have known that you were going to break my heart."

Boom there is was. Finally it was all out there. Not only did she blame him, but she put some of the blame on herself. It was beyond him that she would even consider putting any of the blame there and the wonder was written all over his face. He knew…he could pinpoint where he'd gone wrong. He could plot the dates on the calendar where he had done the wrong things, taken actions that he shouldn't have. There were four months gone in his life that he could name the dates and events that put him where he was. But she was at no fault. She was telling him that none of their love would have happened if she hadn't ignored the stories and looks from those around them. Blaming herself had to end and he had to end it now.

"Lindsay, you are in no way at fault for what pulled us apart. I screwed up. I closed up and found comfort in the worse possible place. You were there trying to put me back right but I pushed and ignored. I'm the stupid one I guess. You have done nothing wrong, I have."

Realization of his own words struck him hard in the chest. He grasped the full, big picture of what was happening. He took everything they had for granted and there was almost nothing left. She was standing right in front of him, yet emotionally was miles away. He didn't know where he stood with her anymore. He was more lost now that he was when Ruben died. There was nothing for him to reach out to.

"So where does that leave us, Danny?" She wasn't giving him any hints on the answer she was looking for. It stung to hear the harsh tone.

"I don't know. I want to erase the last few months and go back to the way we were when we argued about the Batmobile and Mach 5." A fleeting hint of a smile brushed past her lips. It was there and then gone, just a twinge of a muscle. She'd forgotten about that case. They were so dirty and greasy when they left work; they canceled their plans out and stayed in. A shake of her head pushed back the memory and erased the images.

"I wanted that too, but I just can't jump back into the middle of a relationship that's go broken. I don't even know how to trust you again." She was tired and wanted to get back to the couch.

"Can we try friends? Out of all of this I miss our friendship. I miss my friend who doesn't give me the evil eye across the desk. I miss the tough country girl who wasn't afraid to knock me down a few with her biting comebacks and cheap shots. Can we at least try to get back to that?" The look of hope and sorrow for what he lost mixed on his face.

She crossed her arms to keep them from reaching out to him. "Yeah. Its gonna take a while though; you did a lot of damage.

"All I'm asking for is my old partner back." He held out his hand for her to shake. She looked suspiciously at him, something was up. She took the offered hand and get an overactive shake. Something was brewing. "Miss Monroe, I look forward to seeing you at work tomorrow." He took a short bow and left.

Lindsay felt somewhat better. Danny seemed to be a little lighter, his step had more pep in it than she'd seen in weeks.

Out on the street, Danny's head started working. The neurons in his brain started firing. Possibility started moving him down the street. Me made a left instead of a right and set his target. He needed to get back in the lab. There were a few things he needed to take care of before going home.

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**So what do you think? Does it end there or should I go on? Let me know. **

**Happy Valentine's Day by the way.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I was taken by complete surprise by the need you showed for this story to go on. So here you go...**_

It was with great wonder and a feeling of refresh that Lindsay greeted the sun the next morning. How could two soul cleansing conversations and a great night sleep change her whole look on the day? She didn't hit the snooze three times like she usually had done. She didn't groan at the idea of getting out of bed. There was not even a thought about calling in sick. Lindsay actually woke five minutes before the alarm was set to go off and the shower was going already when the annoying tone sounded from the other room.

She felt lighter. She sang gleefully through her morning routine. She dried her hair and got dressed for what promised to be another exciting day. Her job was never boring, well maybe the paper work part. Make-up was lightly applied, coffee poured, bagel toasted and she was out the door fifteen minutes earlier than any day in the last two weeks. A deep breath of air was pulled into her lungs and the smile couldn't stay away as she forced it out and the sun started to shine. Something told her today was going to be different.

The people on the train were happier. They smiled at her more and she replied in kind. Maybe her good mood was contagious. The security guard in the lobby even noticed how good she must have felt and complimented her. Everyone in the world probably noticed her good outlook but she realized it when she caught herself humming along with the boring music in the elevator. She realized and laughed or more like giggled. That same mindless repetitive melody that played over and over for as long as she'd worked there and she was humming along and watching the numbers go up.

She didn't care what happened that day. Her talk with Danny in the lab the day before was overdue and therapeutic. Everything she had bottled up was now out there and he could with it what he pleased. It wasn't her job to fix him or even the two of them. Her job was to take care of herself and if, on the off change, something of their friendship could be salvaged then that was just a bonus. Her focus was now on her and the job she did.

The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival to the 35th floor and when the doors before her opened she stepped onto he tiled floor with confidence and vigor. Her shoes were noisy on the tiles as she walked. Taking a look around, she saw no one from their team rushing around or hunched over evidence in one of the layout rooms. She roamed a bit looking for Stella or Hawkes – just someone to say hello. Adam was the only one she noticed and he was rocking out while studying a monitor. The tiny white speakers in his ears shut him out from the rest of the world.

Before entering her own office and her day with her partner, she paused and wondered how it would go: a friendly hello, being ignored, jumping right into a case and setting off? Would it be awkward between them? Would it be stiff and uncomfortable? She sipped her coffee. Would magic happen, the last four months disappear and they were back to being in love? Truly she was never out of love with him, just very disappointed and confused. Would they get passed all that and ever have what they did?

She considered herself silly for her thoughts, took a firm grip on the strap over her shoulder, hiked her bag higher on her back and strolled casually into the shared office…

…that was empty.

There was no one in the office but it was still a sight to see. He'd cleaned. Sometime between when she left the night before and that morning he'd cleaned their office. The stacks of old research that cluttered the corners were gone. The outdated files must have been disposed of. The numerous items of stuff that was unidentified of importance were stored. His desk looked…wow. She could actually see the calendar he used and a bit of the top of his desk. Everything was neat, tidy. The pencils in his New York novelty cup, with no handle, were sharpened to a pin point. The chair was even pushed all the way in and that never was the case. He spent a great deal of time working on his desk. She admired his work a moment more before rounding the end of her own desk to start the day.

Her desk was also less cluttered, her pencils sharpened. Current files were neatly arranged to one side, phone cord coiled perfectly. Her chair was also pushed completely under the desk. The whole room took on the air of being shiny and new, ready to be used. It did not look like something that was warn and tired, tiring and lived in. She hated to move one thing and disrupt the work he'd done. Even all the fingerprints were erased from the monitor and all her post-its were straightened.

However there was one thing that was out of place. There was a gray-silver envelope setting between the keyboard and CPU. It was addressed to "Miss Lindsay Monroe." Her name was written in the familiar all capital block lettering that could only belong to Danny Messer. How strange it was for him to hand address anything to her that way. Never had he addressed her so formally. Even when making notes in cases he never addressed her that way. She was always noted as "Det. Monroe," or "Lindsay Monroe," but never "Miss Lindsay Monroe."

She debated on how long to let it sit there. Unopened, she couldn't be disappointed by its possible contents of heart break or sorrow. However, if words of hope and friendship were enclosed then she was missing out on the possible comfort. Hesitantly she took the envelope in her hands and turned it over again and again before deciding to slide a nimble finger between the flap and envelope. The two parts were delicately separated from each other. Lindsay took great care in not ripping any part or going too fast. It was thicker than she was used to; the quality was very fine, not some drug store $.99 deal of the week.

She slid the card from its confines. She fumbled and rotated it until it was situated correctly to where she could read the message on the front. Letters were scrolled around each other in silver raised shapes. "Welcome to the Family" it proclaimed and it made no sense to her. She ran her fingers over the embossed greeting and wondered what it meant. Slowly she opened the mystery in her hands.

On the inside the preprinted sentiment was struck through but Lindsay could still make out the sappy words to a new son-in-law from the parents of a bride. What would Danny be doing with this kind of card? Her eyes naturally flowed to the hand written words at the bottom. "Miss Monroe, Danny Messer – How ya doin'? Welcome to the crime lab. I'll be sharing this office with you. We're all one big happy family around here. We have our dysfunctional moments but we're good people. If you have any questions see Mac, he's the boss. Make sure you call him 'sir'. –Danny Messer. PS. Since you're new in town I thought I might recommend a great place to visit during your day off."

A piece of quarter folded paper was clipped to the back of the card with a blue paper clip. She unfolded and glanced at the printed side of the paper. Then her next move was to lay the two items down carefully on her desk. She slumped back in her chair to think about what he had done. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry and pulled at her lip with the side of her finger.

She recognized the greeting he used in the card as the one that he used when they first met. She cringed at his suggestion to call Mac 'sir,' but this last thing was the cherry on top. She was still getting over the fact that he showed up at her door the night before, that he came back and cleaned up the office after their conversation, or that he got her the card welcoming her to the lab as if it were the first day. But even that wasn't the thing that was giving her the astonished feeling of disbelief.

She could not in a million years believe that he remembered everything about their first meeting, prepped the office, made a midnight run to her home the night before, quoted things from the first five minutes that they met and then on top of that he added a yearlong membership to the Bronx Zoo. There was a handwritten note at the bottom: "Stop and see the tigers, I hear they are to die for. But I also hear a full grown black bear can do some damage."

She wanted to cry out of the sentimentality. Each small recognition he made of her case at the zoo where she met him pulled at her heart in all the right places. He'd put a lot of thought into it. She unknowingly worked to straighten the paper clip that held the print out to the back of the card while staring at her desk. The time stamp at the bottom of the print out showed that he printed out the page in the early hours of the day. It was looking like today would be a big day in their timeline. It would be the day that things started to maybe turn around.

The phone on her desk rang. It went unnoticed.

Her cell vibrated. It went unanswered.

A voice mail came in. It went unheard.

A text message beeped in. It went unread.

She wasn't ignoring them on purpose. She was too deep in consideration about what was sitting on her desk. She was deeply touched over the thought he put into the huge gesture. She was deep in her mind remembering how frustrating he was that day; how made he made her; how nervous she was on her first day. She could laugh at it all now, they both did on lots of occasions. She loved the man; that would never change. But the thought he put forth and the actions he did made him more special than any man she ever knew. He was rough around the edges, but he wouldn't be Danny Messer without them.

"Lindsay?"

"Yeah?" She answered out of reaction and habit more than anything. She didn't even look up.

"Lindsay?"

"Wha?" The whiplash would set in soon from how quickly she turned to face the voice.

"I called and you didn't pick up. You ready to go over the case?"

Lindsay gave Stella a look of total confusion. Why would she be going over a case? Wasn't her job that day to sit and start off into space? She looked over the top of her desk for a clue about what Stella was talking about. Danny had done such a great job cleaning their office that the file she was looking for was right on top of the neat stack on the corner of her desk. Reading the name written on it, all the details came to her.

"Um, yeah. I'll be in there in five minutes." She held the found info in the air victorious.

"You alright?" The concern was not well hidden in the question.

"Yeah, I'm good." Lindsay folded the paper back up and put both the card and paper back into the envelope.

"Who's the card from?"

Lindsay tucked the little card with the huge message into the side of her bag for safe keeping. "A good friend I lost touch with."

"Okay, well I'll see you in five." Stella turned from the office and left.

Lindsay found a pad of paper and wrote a note back to the man who cluttered her thoughts. Placing the finished page under the edge of his keyboard where he would be sure to find it and she made sure that the rest of the office was left how she found it. The meeting was waiting and she needed to go but she hated to miss seeing Danny to thank him personally. She went to the door and left her words behind:

"Mr. Messer, Thank you for your warm welcome. I appreciate your generous gift and will visit the zoo during my first day off. I'm sorry I missed meeting you face to face and hope to meet you soon. I do have one question though and only you can answer it: Is the office always this clean? I like it. –Lindsay Monroe."

**_So do I end it here or keep going? There is one person out there who knows how long this can go on, how long I have planned this story for episode wise. Anyway, you still want more, that can be just the beginning or its nicely wrapped up for an ending. Let me know please._**


	3. Novelty Pens and Chinese Take Out

It was such a simple thing, but its discovery on Monday morning still made him smile. It proved to him that on her day off, Lindsay thought of him in some way. It was a small cheesy token, but a token none the less.

He didn't know that her thoughts focused on him and what they were trying to rebuild. He didn't know that she was at the gates of the zoo when it opened and she stayed pretty much until they closed. He didn't know that the day was leisurely spent roaming from exhibit to exhibit, animal to animal. He didn't know about how much fun she had on the bug merry-go-round or in the butterfly garden.

He didn't know that she spent a lot of time in front of the tiger enclosure watching the majestic animals prowl around their space. She could picture the large male unconscious in her boss's hands as they took the impression of his teeth and she called him 'sir'. The memory passed and another took its place. This time Mac was up on a ladder on the far side of the habitat testing blood samples to find indicators for human or animal. Danny roamed around with his camera photographing the area and a younger version of herself crouched down to bag what the tiger left behind after his grotesque meal. He didn't know that she stood watching the tigers until the shadows grew longer and longer on the ground and the air grew cool around her.

He didn't know that on her way out of the animal park the gift shop called to her. She took a turn or two through the aisles and made a few purchases, trinkets really, including the wildly colored ink pen he saw resting on his keyboard. The Bronx Zoo logo interrupted the pattern on the barrel to announce where it was from.

He didn't know a lot about that day, but he knew that she thought of him enough to buy him the novelty and leave it out in plain sight for him to find. In a better mood than he was in when he arrived at work, Danny shed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. It was going to be a good day.

**

"I'm out." Danny announced.

It was a week after his card welcomed her to the lab and Lindsay looked up at him to see his arms disappear into his jacket as he prepared to leave for the night. "Okay, I've got a few things to close up here and I'm out too." The exchange was harmless enough, but the words spoken were the same ones they used while they were together. One might take off before the other and stop of the way out to grab dinner. The other would arrive at whichever apartment and their evening together would start. It was a habit she almost fell back into that Wednesday night. They both did, it was written in his eyes. He felt how natural it was to fall back into old routines. She started to check what was left to be finished and give him an estimated time of departure like she usually did but stopped short and looked up again to meet his eyes. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Two hands folded with fingers interlaced on top of the files that needed her attention.

The hope died on his face. The short conversation was too familiar, too promising. Maybe it was that small hurdle they needed to jump over to move on. He didn't expect anything to come from his departure from work, but the words, the tone and the comfortable atmosphere lifted him high enough to fall and he fell hard. It was difficult to hide the emotions in his voice as he spoke. "Until tomorrow then." His hands dug deep into the pockets of his jacket and brought it closed in front of him. His head drooped a little lower on the trek out of the building.

**

Lindsay stayed longer than she expected and needed a refill on her coffee. Pushing away from her desk, she stood and groaned at the same time. Pops sounded from her knees and neck while they extended and stretched. Steps were stiff at first and slow. And once she was up, sitting back in her chair was not something she was looking forward to. Sweet time was taken to get coffee and a small snack from the vending machine.

The long way was taken to get back to her desk. The stroll was lazy and deliberately slow. There was an hour left of work to be done and nothing to hurry home to. The verbal exchange with her partner rattled her some too and an empty apartment was not what she needed.

The steam rose above the dark liquid in her cup. The water vapors carried the rich aroma to her nose and it brought her comfort. The mug's warmth transferred heat to the stiff fingers and hands that had been writing for hours already. Coffee should not be drunk this late in the evening, but alertness was a must for just a little longer.

With nothing left to keep her from the work at her desk, she meandered back to the small office. But something was out of place…not out of place, but added to the messy layers of work already strewn on her work space.

There seemed to be two unsharpened pencils on the keyboard in the canyon between the row of number keys and function keys. There was also a bright blue envelope stuck between the CPU and keyboard and this time it was only addressed to "Lindsay."

The mug was almost up to her lips before the discovery and without moving it, her body pivoted to see if there was any sign of the man who would have left it while she was out. There was no sign. There was not even a sign of anyone Danny would have deemed trustworthy enough to slip it into her office while she was out refilling her coffee. Danny would not have trusted a sneaky trick like that to anyone. They would have gotten nothing done if they were watching her that closely. He had to be somewhere close or on his way out.

No sound was made when the mug of undrunk liquid was set down on the desk near her phone. Eager fingers coaxed the envelope from its place and used the same amount of gentle force to open the pocket to discover what it held.

Before the card was fully out, Lindsay had to cover her mouth and hold in the bubble of laughter because Cookie Monster was staring at her.

"What the hell does he have up his sleeve this time?"

Paper slipped from the inside when the front was opened for further exploration. The paper was ignored and fell into her lap until his message was read. Again he crossed out the preprinted words wishing a three-year-old best wishes on their birthday and wrote his own.

"Don't work too late and make sure you eat something. Don't forget the fortune COOOOOKIES." Danny's voice in her mind changed to Cookie Monster's on the last word as she read. She hoped the paper would answer the few questions in her head about what he was talking about and why recommend fortune cookies.

The paper was soft and well worn. The edges were ratty and ripped but the printing was clear and revealed that it was one of their many copies of a Chinese takeout menu for a place in her neighborhood. His favorite selections were highlighted and new words were written in the margin. "I even provided chop sticks."

"Where?" Was asked of the paper in her hands as if it would reply. On her feet again, she searched under files, in her drawers, pencil mug and didn't see anything. Papers were moved and shuffled across her desk and some onto the floor in the great inspection, but they were still not found.

The keyboard…wasn't there something on the keyboard when she walked in? The papers that had been shifted onto the device were dropped into a messy pile in her chair until she could get back to them. And she found them sitting in the same place she had left the pen for Danny after her zoo expedition. And they were not pencils but indeed chop sticks…all too familiar looking chop sticks.

"_I better take the paper; there might be something on it."_

The words that once questioned her ability to do her job left her wondering. The chopsticks now in her hands looked like the same ones from the case they worked: elastic, paper, and then sticks of wood – chopsticks for dummies. There was writing on that paper many years ago, was something written on the slip of paper this time?

The elastic rolled off the end easily and the paper slid out. It unfolded once, then again, and then one more time. The message was longer than an audition reminder: "To the world you might be just one person. But to one person you may be the world." It was carefully written in his distinctive handwriting.

**

Danny showed up to work the next morning to find Lindsay at her desk already working. The files sprawled across her desk he recognized as the same ones from the night before. His gift was intact and mixed in with the pens and pencils in her cup. He didn't know if she got his message at all.

Then he rounded the end of his desk and saw a note stuck to the middle of his screen. Lindsay rose from her seat and left the office with a file in her hand. He started reading and sat into his chair at the same time with his bag still over his shoulder.

"Mr. Messer, It looks like I got to analyze the paper this time to see if there was anything on it. I also ordered Chinese from the place you recommended…very good. But I think my fortune in my cookie was meant for you: a hint of failure is not defeat unless you stop trying."

Maybe things were not working at the pace he wanted, but that was a sign that he needed to keep on trying.

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_The readers of are the best. The leave the most wonderful words of encouragement and support. I love reading that you love reading so keep it coming and let me know what. There have been over 1000 hits and I'm looking for more. Bring it on._

_Coming next: What brought Danny to make that phone call to Lindsay while she was walking in the rain?_


	4. Montana and Possibilities

**_I have to say that this is totally review and hit driven. The feedback and popularity of this story has urged me to write. Keep it coming my way and I will send more your way._**

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What was she thinking? The man infuriated her. From the day they met…from the moment they met, Danny rubbed her the wrong way, led her down the wrong path. He was annoying with his street smart attitude and his thick inarticulate accent. He called her names while talking to Mac twice and never gave her the chance to fight back. First he called her "Montana" and then he called her "country girl" and that was all on her first day working there.

He questioned her ability to do her job when it came to the chop stick thing and understood why Mac sent her back to the lab when it came to the Endecott processing. He walked in bringing her more evidence after Mac dismissed her from the gruesome scene and addressed her by his own pet name for her. The word exited his body as if it were the most natural thing, but Mac's dismissal already had her in a tizzy and she told him where to stick his humor and reminded him of her name. No longer was she gonna deal with all the new girl rookie crap and his comments too. She almost let more slip about her past and how she could have handled the scene that was presented to them, but she focused on the case and updated him on what she knew. He and his comments cooled off until she started dishing it to him whenever he left the opportunity for her.

His latest token was held in her hand and brought all these memories back. The small magnet in the shape of her home state, Montana was stuck to the front of one of her desk drawers with another note underneath: "What kind of farm parties do they have in Montana?" It was the note that threw her back down memory lane. During the Darius case she stood up for herself with Danny Messer and it was full steam ahead after that.

After a while the magnet went back on the drawer front and the note needed to join the others in her bag. The newest piece of paper fell from her lap as she retrieved the envelope from the first 'welcome' card, it held all the scraps of paper with his words. The note landed more words could be seen on the back: "I have the tickets to the basketball game we planned to go to next week. Would you still like to go with me? Would you like to have the tickets to go with someone else? Let me know. D--"

It was the most personal communication they had in a month. Their notes and little gifts were a song and dance tapping around any real issues they had. But this was a real conversation and a decision needed to be made. On her desk calendar the date was marked. They planned to go and make a huge deal out of the date because it was going to be the first professional game she went to in New York. It was also going to be during the finals.

They were not to a point where they could go under the conditions originally planned. It would also be awkward to go as friends when they were supposed to be there on a date. There was no one else she wanted to go with. That only left one option.

"Danny, call Don and see if he wants to join you next Tuesday night. Maybe we can try and go another time. Lindsay."

She wasn't ready to sign the note with 'Montana' but she almost did.

**

Call it fate, call it luck, call it karma, but she ended up in that auditorium that night. It was not to see the game or enjoy the wonderful food that was offered. It was in a professional capacity. Leave it to a dead body to begin them together on a night they should have been together in the first place.

**

Thursdays became special in her world. Last Thursday her magnet showed up, the Thursday before that it was the chopsticks and the Thursday before that it was the welcome card. Thursday was a day she looked forward to. Thursday was a day she did not mind going into work because there was something sitting there on her desk from him.

Except on that Thursday after the game there was nothing. He had nothing ready. He had nothing prepared. The top of her desk was completely clean and empty. Wednesday nights she cleared it totally to make it easy to see any piece of paper or item that she might have been left. In her mind she wrote it off as being consumed by the cheerleader revenge case that was solved late the night before, but she counted on his creativeness. She enjoyed his twisted walk down memory lane. So far all the things reminded her of times he did frustrated her, but they were laughable now.

But there was nothing there. She even dug around in drawers to search for something he might have hidden and there was nothing. She left three times to get a coffee refill that she didn't need and always returned hoping to find something on her desk, but there was nothing. Danny was not working that day, yet periodically her work was forgotten to scan the lab for suspicious shift eyes of someone who watching her moves or even the man himself.

**

Nothing was planned for that Thursday. It was his day off and the apartment needed an attitude change just like he did. The cold season was over; he was tired of the doom and gloom both in the apartment and in his heart.

He threw out old newspapers and magazines, straightened the couch, changed the sheets, did major loads of laundry. It was stuff that needed to be done all along but it was left to sit. All day he worked. First it was the bedroom, then the bathroom. He threw away all the experiments from the back of the fridge that would have made him chemistry teacher proud.

The hardest part of the clean up and clean out was the end of the counter where things he deemed important sat but other stuff always seemed to wiggle their way in. There was junk mail, menus from restaurants, old birthday cards, and the hard items were buried in-between. The program from Ruben's funeral service was in that pile and his heart clenched again when he came across it. So good, he'd been doing so good moving on and acknowledging that it happened but no longer letting it control him.

He wanted to talk; he wanted someone close to him to be there to comfort him when he came across that memory again. Right then he wanted, more than anything, for Lindsay to be there, saying words that would calm him. He wanted that someone who would wrap their arms around him and hold on for twenty minutes without talking and let him get all the emotion out with no judgment. He pushed that person away and maybe it was time to start reeling her back.

**

There was no food in the apartment and she was hungry for something but she didn't know what. The neighborhood was a good place to wander until something to eat was found and the deli called to her as she passed. The hot sandwich soothed her craving and while she ate the heavens opened up and the steady rain that was forecasted started to fall. It matched her mood and the trek back to her apartment ended up turning into a slow stroll under the sky's tears and the darkness of night.

The conversation in the coroner's office with Danny summed up exactly how she felt. She didn't know what she wanted, she was tired of where they stood and she didn't want to be in the situation that she was in anymore. When she and Danny quoted lines from Jaws the spark was there; the twinkle was in his eyes. It was like nothing happened and so much had. He pushed her away and now was trying to bring her back in. Should she allow that to happen? Should she let him back into her heart? Did he ever really leave? So many questions, one for each drop that fell on the pavement in front of her.

Woman's intuition and the shadiness of comments and actions on Danny's end brought her to the conclusion that he did sleep with someone. A few possibilities of who it could be were considered but could she be upset? Were they together at the time? It stung and yes it hurt. But it hurt more that he shut her out as a friend. He knew, he found out while she was on the witness stand the loss she went through. He saw how deep she went, how it affected her life on a daily basis. She didn't need to be in his bed but she wanted to be…she needed to be…she didn't know, but what she wanted was not the position they were in.

Deep in the pocket of her coat a slight vibration was felt. Pulling the object from the hiding place, she smiled at the sight of Danny's face grinning that goofy grin back at her. There was no hesitation in answering.

"Hey" She greeted with no formal salutation to a familiar friend. The sigh that sounded added weight to the short word.

"Hey, Where are you?"

"I'm taking a rain walk. It's a Montana thing. You wouldn't understand."

Danny questioned if a "Montana thing" meant something people in Montana do or something that his Montana did. "Maybe I would." Boldness grew. His stance widened, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Maybe there are a lot of things I understand now."

The soft confidence was a good sort of difference from the hopeless, helpless Danny. "Yeah, like what?"

"How sorry I am for pushing you away."

It was an apology and it was for what she needed to hear. "Danny I tried to give you your space. I don't know how much longer I can do this. It's messing with my work and its breaking my heart."

It broke him to hear the anguish in her voice. "Yeah, I know, I know. I do. I swear to God it wont happen again. The truth is." Small bundles of nerves build up and the right words escaped him. "The truth is I miss you. I miss you more than I can say, even if I don't know how to say it."

Lindsay wanted to give a cheer, a flirty smile showed its sign for the first time in a while. "Do you have any idea how hard you are to love?"

Danny smiled to himself in relief and replied. "Why don't you come on over and tell me in person." He was holding onto the phone so tight it was going to leave an impression in the skin, but he needed to hear the answer. "Please?"

It would be too easy to fall back into him. He wasn't going to break her heart again and they needed to rebuild the foundation that was cracked. She would tell him one day. "I gotta go."

Lindsay wanted to do twirls in the street and jump for joy because it was a start. The rain that was beating down on her was becoming cold. She needed to get home. The closest subway station was closed and a few more blocks needed to be walked. A warm bath and a good movie afterwards was waiting for her at home. Tomorrow maybe a whole new world of possibility would be there for her.

* * *

**_I am not all that happy with this chapter, but the phone conversation needed to be addressed. This chapter felt like filler and out of place. Let me know what your thoughts are. _**

**_Please know that in my universe, Veritas and Hostage happen in September. I will not follow the episode schedule and have one in May and the other in August. That's one heck of a hostage hold out. I have a whole summer of events happening for Danny and Lindsay and we will get to how Mac gets abducted. Don't think that I am skipping it._**

**_What did you think. Review please, give me a reason to write faster._**


	5. The Color Yellow and TV Schedules

_**I am so sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I have changed my diet for medical reasons and it has left me sluggish and unfocused. I am adjusting and hope get back on track quickly. Anyway, here it is.**_

It was official; Lindsay concluded mentally, there was definitely a global agreement among office supply companies to standardize the color of basic needs. Long before she even entered elementary school, all the CEOs of major and minor companies from the US to China must have meet in a closed door meeting to discuss and take a vote about making most of the common items needed in any office the same general color. 3M was represented, and Ticonderoga, Mead and Sharpie, they were all there as well as a slew of others. She laughed at the picture in her mind of all these big guys is their suits writing down color choices. They would stand around in the hallways during breaks with their Styrofoam cups of coffee in their hands talking about buttercup and mint, coral and egg shell. There would be phone calls made to their wives on the pay phones and brick cell phones asking what the newest fashion colors were. They would spend hours thinking about their products and trying to come to a consensus. Discussions would start to narrow down the options and then they would make their decision; it would handed in to be tallied. How eagerly they waited until the numbers were counted and the big announcement made. And what was the choice? What was the color they all decided to make the products they sold?

Yellow.

But why yellow? Was it the most gender neutral color they had? Was there an abundance of the pigment for sale cheap somewhere? Why not white? Or green? Why yellow? Was the color chosen because of its happiness factor and it helped people be cheery at their jobs even when the hours went long? It was the color of spring flowers and butterflies. It was the color of chicks and ducklings.

Lindsay was smiling before she knew it and it was because of office supplies.

The train of thought that was steaming through her mind was caused by a convergence of items being used all at the same time. She sat down to sum up her latest case and sat at her desk to work. Her case notes were written on a yellow legal pad. Some names were spotted and needed to be jotted down for questioning. She reached for a yellow sticky note and stuck it to the yellow paper. The closest thing to write with was a trusty no. 2 pencil that just happened to be yellow. Then the color tunnel vision began. There were highlighters, markers, pushpins, paper clips…

"You deep in thought or forget about what you were about to write?" Danny asked not knowing what she was thinking as he entered the office and saw the zoned look on her face.

"Just taking some notes about the case. Some witness names were left out and I wanted to run a check on them. Wha do you got?" The color trance was broken and she sat back in her chair.

"Adam came through with the analysis on the wire from the scene. I need to check for manufacturers."

"Sounds good, then we can take my list and we can take your list and see if any _connections_ are made." The words were purposefully silky, suggestive, and drawled to get his pulse to quicken. The blank stare he gave her proved she did her job well.

**

"Did you see this?" Stella asked the other co-lead of the lab. He had his back turned to whatever she was commenting about. He had to turn around and follow where her gaze fell before catching on.

"Lindsay and Danny? I've been keeping an eye on them." Papers were fanned out in his hands as if he was looking for something.

They were now across the lab in a layout room with a lighted table between them. There was indeed a connection made from the information on the two lists that Danny and Lindsay had. Lindsay had her hands on her hips and Danny's arms were folded in front of him. Items of evidence were shuffled back and forth on the surface trying to put all the pieces of the case together. Stella and Mac watched the two as they conversed, discussed and even had heated words between them but never was it an uncomfortable feeling. Lindsay moved one item across to connect its significance to another photo and there were instant high fives, clearing of the table and the two exited from sight.

"Looks like they have cleared things up, whatever they might have been."

"Yeah, I was afraid I was going to have to take Danny aside and hurt him for whatever he did or didn't do to Lindsay." Mac's words were clear enough to hear the hidden message screaming through. The dry sense of humor that the man had was also hiding there in his words somewhere.

"Aww, you do have a heart." She kidded him.

"What are you talking about; whatever was or wasn't going on between them was hurting the lab and its performance. It needed to be fixed." He grinned a knowing grin at his long time partner and went back to whatever had his attention when the short conversation started. Stella watched for the two to reappear before she turned and went about her daily business.

**

The second week had come and gone and the parade of items Danny left on her desk seemed to be over. The phone call in the rain cleaned the slate, erased most of the past and stopped his quirky efforts. The only thing that hadn't gone back to normal was that they were not sharing time away from work and they were not sharing a bed at night. The jokes, flirty remarks and ribbing had all returned in full force from both parties. She missed his efforts, but her heart sang with their renewed level of comfort. Their rocky past seemed to be…in the past.

**

Mac made out the schedule and intentionally left the two of them together. They could finish each other's sentences, knew what the other one was thinking and acted before anything was said outloud. He was impressed by their level of commitment to the lab and how they overcame their friction. But the dynamic duo was broken up in the middle of the next week because of a NYPD formal function that Stella had to attend. Danny in one of his many acts of kindness that seemed to be showing lately, offered to work that night shift to cover the time that she would be away. Lindsay was disappointed to hear the news that she would be working without him during the daylight hours, but would deal.

The work day was almost over. The energy and rush of the day was quickly draining. Her time alone in the office was coming to a close and his time would be starting shortly. In a sign of respect for what he had done all those weeks ago she straightened the office for something nice for him to walk in to. The tops of the desks were tidied, items were shifted around to make them space look more streamlined and during the last fifteen minutes of her shift she just sat and waited.

"On my way to a call out. See you tomorrow." She read on her phone when it sounded. It would be the first day that she would not see him at all during a work hours. There was a hole. There was a break in the chain. There was an empty feeling of incompleteness for the day. Slumping back in her chair she didn't know what to do, but it was time to go home and she needed to refill her mug first. The office did not have the best coffee, but it was free and how could you beat that.

The pot was almost empty when she got to it and she delayed her departure by making the next shift a fresh pot. Deciding she would rather have the fresh coffee rather than the bottom of the barrel sludge she dumped her mug down the drain and refilled. The whole coffee ordeal took her about twenty minutes and going home was still not looking appeasing but there was nothing else to keep here there and it was time to leave.

Danny Messer is sneaky. Danny Messer is sneaky and creative and pretty much capable of doing anything that he put his mind to, so when Lindsay entered her office to get her bag to go home it was no surprise to see a newspaper clipping taped to her monitor with a (yellow) sticky note stuck to it.

"Saw this in the newspaper thought you might be interested in it," was scrawled in his hand.

The clipping was a TV schedule and a program was highlighted (in yellow) and the program summary was also highlighted for her to read (in yellow).

National Geographic Channel. 9PM. Program: Walrus vs. Polar Bear.

A snort came out of her instead of a laugh and a hand went up to cover it. She looked down and read the program synopsis. _Walrus documentary showing how it dominates over the power of the polar bear that shares its habitat._

Lindsay checked the date on the paper and wanted to know if it was just coincidence that this program was showing that night or if he had clipped it previously and held onto it. But there was nothing in the programming or the page that divulged the information that she was looking for. There were no news or sport programs in the listing to give her a clue. None of the program write ups helped her to date the information he left for her.

Walrus documentary. Lindsay could not believe that he would want to bring that back up, but it was one of the first times that Lindsay started the joking around.

The scene played out so easily that she could not have planned it better. All she was doing was walking by the AV room and out of her peripheral view she saw three men hovering around a TV. That was nothing new in the office, there were tapes to be watched and gone over for evidence all the time. But when she passed the slightly cracked door and heard the sounds that were coming out of the room she had to see what was going on.

Her thoughts were correct that the sounds were of two people having loud sexual intercourse, but the tape was fuzzy and the men were so trained onto what was being shown that they didn't see or hear her enter. She had to give someone a hard time and there stood Danny Messer.

"Footage from your 30th birthday party, Messer?" She picked at him with.

"Walrus documentary actually..." He answered without missing a beat or changing his stance.

Hawkes must have thought it was a legitimate inquiry and he filled her in on the case details. "It's Tara Stansfield, our victim from the park.

Losing interest in kidding with Danny, she focused on what was going on in the video. "Who is the other walrus?"

Lindsay jumped from her memories to present time. "Danny, this looks very educational. Thank you for the suggestion. Will let you know how it turns out," she jotted for him on a note pad and left in the middle of his desk.

She left quickly and thought about what to do for dinner. So lost in her thoughts she was, she didn't see Danny trying to hide in Stella's office. There was no scene, but he knew her routine and saw an opening to leave something for her before she left for the day. With them working the same shifts it was difficult to set anything up for her and there was still a pile of ideas he had. He hoped for a quiet night to do some thinking.

**Well, there is it. Let me know. Give me a push to continue...**


	6. Tourism and Drinks

**_I'm back. This was my spring break and I had every intention of writing all week long, however the allergy monster hit and I have spent most of this week done in by the horrible side effects of medicines. I came out of my fog late Thursday night and have been writing since. enjoy._**

June 13, 2008 – Lindsay roamed the streets of New York, but not the streets that tourists normally roamed. She roamed the streets that only a specific group of people knew about. In her hands she held a guide book that was long out of print. It was on loan from Danny, well not on loan as much as left on her desk with another note that told her to keep a good grip on it.

"Hidden New York for New Yorkers."

She'd been through it, cover to cover at least twice. It listed all of the off the beaten path places that even lifelong residents didn't know about and on page 73, the page that was marked for her, was the story of the New York City Doll Hospital, the same place from their case three years ago, the case where they discussed grip while holding her hand. Where she felt the sparks start to pass between them. She didn't know where it would go, but she felt something.

She found the book on her desk almost hidden between her case binder and the phone book. A bright red post-it was on the inside cover and he made reference to grip and then talked about her effort towards keeping the office. "You don't have to do that," he wrote, but that's not how he said it at the time. She blushed because she knew the circumstances where he got the quote.

They were standing in front of the door of a person connected to the case and she started removing her shoes before they knocked on the door. "What are you doin'?" He asked. "You don't gotta do that."

Her note was written and stuck to his desk. "I was taught that if you show someone a little respect, you might get more than what you came for." With a wiggle in her walk, she started the day.

That was three weeks ago. She spent her off time exploring the locations described in the worn and beaten book. Nothing showed up on her desk a week later and she moped for a day before pulling herself together and moving on. She liked finding things. She liked seeing how his warped mind worked into these special things he left for her.

Then, three days before another field trip through New York with the guidance of Danny's book, she found an 8x10 color photo sticking out from under her keyboard. Lindsay recognized it immediately. It was a photo of Mac, Danny and herself. She was approaching a scene. Mac was crouched over the body in his tux and Danny stood near him with his hands out, palms up as if he were giving up. Lindsay hadn't quite made it to the body yet and was all dressed up for a night out at the opera. She was out with her uncle for her first opera experience since moving to the city and leave it to a dead body to ruin the night. There was nothing to be seen stuck to the photo in the way of a message until she turned it over.

"I'm hanging out with all the wrong people, you know that?"

She had to give him some kudos. He had a great memory. He also left an offer wide open. In their eight week tradition of passing notes, she wrote a reply thanking him and this one was easy and contained only one line…

"Why don't you hang out with me?"

Nothing was ever said about her offer before the weekend started and Lindsay spent her day off alone. As soon as she made the suggestion that he hang out with her she hoped he would join her over the weekend to explore. But, it was no big deal, she told herself, and she'd gotten used to it.

The page was turned in her guide book and she plotted her next few destinations.

**

At work, Lindsay checked her calendar and made sure that she didn't sleep through two days. The days at the beginning of the week hadn't been so busy that she lost track, but her Thursday morning gift/note showed up Tuesday morning along with a fresh daisy on the keyboard. "You're invited" the front of the card boasted in its baby blue letters. There was a baby carriage under the letters. Lindsay knew there was no one in the office who was having a baby any time soon. It had to be from Danny and that left a glowing expression on her face that reached her eyes.

"Wow, what do you have?" Sheldon stood in the doorway. Lindsay quickly hid the card against her chest.

"What do you mean?" Busted.

"Flowers, card, you wearing a smile that would rival any in the city."

"It's nothing." She tried to shoo it away with a wave of her hand. "Just a card from a friend." The blush was hard to hide.

"Must be some friend if it made you react like that." He pushed away from the door and went down the hall.

Lindsay peered around the lab to make sure that there was no one about to interrupt her again.

"You're Invited!" She read again and then opened the card to see more of the same blue color scrolled around the information in the middle.

_An Invitation!!!_

_What: To hang out_

_Where: Cozy's_

_When: Wednesday, 8PM_

_Why: I'm hanging out with all the wrong people and there's a rumor that our boss plays there._

_RSVP: Just leave me a note_

First reaction would have been to spaz out like a teenager and jump around. Squealing was the next possible action, but that would draw too much attention. Breathing had to be controlled. Heart rate needed to slow down. So he really wasn't blowing off the idea the hang out with her.

Note, she needed to leave a note. Something witty, something smart, something flirty. Something that would convey her eagerness to be there with him and yet not clingy and needy. She found the paper and pen and sat down to compose the perfect acceptance note and every word in the English language left her brain.

"Lindsay get your kit, we've got a call out."

"On my way Mac." She jotted down the only thing that came to mind and stuck her answer to his phone.

"I'll be there."

**

Danny was the first to arrive at Cozy's. He was early, twenty minutes early, and he grew more and more nervous with each passing minute.

Would she show?

Was this a date?

How would the evening go?

He checked the time on his phone and watch. He watched the door like a hawk and slowly worked the label from his bottle. The wait was killing him. A deep sigh was forced from his lungs.

Suddenly his phone danced across the table top as a text came in. The worst feeling came over him. Lindsay was probably calling to cancel. The debate was on about whether or not to look but he had to. First he checked to see who the text was from.

Lindsay.

Next he really had to decide if he wanted to read the message to see if she cancelled or if he just wanted to wait it out and see. But curiosity got the between of him.

"Don't worry cowboy. I'm around the corner, was running a little late."

The phone was flipped shut and relief gushed from him.

**

Lindsay was hurrying but it wasn't going to be enough. She hoped the message she sent would help. Nerves had gotten the better of her and the wardrobe contained in her closet was not helping. Nothing looked right, nothing looked good and she settled with jeans and a lightweight v-neck short sleeved sweater. It was comfortable, casual and still she looked a little put together.

Her cab was not moving fast enough for her. She typed out her text and hit send. It was eight o'clock and Danny would be sitting there waiting for her. The club was right around the corner and she was done with waiting.

"Just let me out here." She didn't want to want for traffic to open and the turn to be made. "Thanks."

**

The bar hadn't changed. It held its mellow ambiance, the perfect place to enjoy some music with a good friend. Piped in music greeted her when she opened the door. Mac would start playing in a few minutes. There were a lot of people sitting and enjoying their evenings.

Just inside the door she had the same questions that Danny did. What was tonight all about? What would they talk about? What were the expectations? What did she want from this? What was she her, why now?

A hand was waving to get her attention. He looked like the same man who she was waiting for the first time they met there. He was late that night and was under the impression that her invitation for a drink after work was more than it really was. Would the situation be the same? All their combined questions would be soon answered. The feet under her started inching their way towards the table where he sat.

Mac's set started before Lindsay reached the table. She slipped into the tall chair and accepted a beer from Danny silently while listening to the heavy tones from his bass guide the melody. For ten minutes nothing was said at their table. The longer they were silent the more awkward it became between them.

"Thank you for coming tonight." Danny finally spoke still focusing on the drink in front of him instead of making eye contact with her.

"I wanted to give you someone to hang out with." She tried to keep the comment light and joked with him while making light eye contact. At the office it was easy with him; they were in a controlled environment. But out in the open with their history, it was straining to find the right words to say.

A smile and short laugh came from him. "I appreciate that."

There was that momentary awkward silent moment. Danny worked to dislodge the rest of the label from his bottle.

"Linds, I don't know what I'm doin'. We talked on that catwalk that day and we agreed to work on being' friends. But I want more." Danny stopped tilted him head to one side, thinking about how to continue. "I would like to get back to where we were, but I want to do it right. It's gonna take time, I know that. But I'd like to take you out, see a movie, have dinner or something."

And for the first time Lindsay was nothing thinking about why they were not together. She was remembering the reasons why they took different paths. She actually could envision him in her life again. She could imagine him in her space, building slowly towards something. "So this isn't a date?" A finger waggled between them.

The instant she asked he was taking a drink from him beer and it was sputtered and coughed back up. "uh…it wasn't my intention…no."

Danny watched her head rock up and down in understanding as deep thoughts invaded. "So when should this hypothetical date happen?"

He glanced at his watch as he stood. "I could leave and come back in, we could start the date in about three minutes." Lindsay caught his arm as he tried to leave the table for the door. The warmth from her touch radiated up his arm and into his body. It was playful and teasing, but she was still touching him and it'd been a long time since she touched him for any reason.

"Sit back down." A pout clouded his eagerness. "Oh, give it up. I'm immune to your puppy dog face." She still had his hand in hers from when he tried to leave. "Next week, you'll take me out for dinner. Some random night that we're both free."

"Black tie?"

"Jeans are fine."

"Burgers and pizza?"

"Perfect."

"Walk you home?"

"Of course."

"Kiss at the door?"

"Possibility." Their hands switched places and he was holding onto hers now. "I do have one question." She quarried.

"This doesn't sound good."

"Does this mean you're done with my weekly gifts?" She straightened up in her seat, never letting her hand fall out of his, and scrunched up her eyes. "Where did that TV schedule come from and how do you remember all those details?"

It was over exaggerated, but he pondered the questions before giving his answer. "You know how each case file has a summary sheet in the front with witness, family, and other names from the cases? They have evidence, scene listings and so on?" He saw the 'get-on-with-it' head nod. "I keep a copy of those sheets in a binder for reference. I've gone back to it and linked cases before by using it. I went back and looked through our history."

"I didn't work the walrus case." She pointedly mentioned.

"Yeah, but when I flipped passed the sheet in the book, I saw the tape under evidence and remembered you coming in to see what we were watchin'." The stare was intense. The piece of film they were referring to was intense.

"So next week?" Lindsay covered and scratched the back of her head, trying to move past the flush that would appear if her mind lingered any further on the tape.

It was his turn to sit up and he cleared his throat. "Next week on Wednesday or Thursday, I will take you out for a bit to eat and if I play my cards right, I get a kiss goodnight."

"And be thinking about it until then I'm sure."

"You go that right." He leaned in closer.

"How's your mom and dad?"

Lindsay laughed because thought about kisses disappeared from his eyes. "That's just wrong, you know that right? That was just wrong."

"I know."

His thumb rubbed patterns on the back of her hand mindlessly. "They're good. Mom's not too happy wit' me letting you slip through my fingers, but hopefully things'ill get better."

"Oohhhh." She started sarcastically. "I see it now; this is just an elaborate plan to get back in the good graces with your parents."

"Yes, Montana, that's the only reason." Curiously, her eyes closed at his sarcastic words. "Come one you that's not the truth."

"No, it's not that…I haven't heard you call me Montana in a long time." Embarrassment took over but she didn't know if it was from the fact that she made admission or how girly the admission was.

"It didn't fell like it was my place to use it."

"Sheldon tried to call me 'Montana' and it sounded weird." They lapsed back into silence but it was more comfortable than the last time. Mac finished on stage and said his good night to the intimate crowd before leaving the stage.

"You ready? We both gotta be at work early tomorrow."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Danny led her through the narrow space between tables with his hand wide across her back. She hesitated on a few of her steps just to feel the pressure and heat against her. He pulled the door open for them to pass through and guided her to the curb.

"Well, thank you for inviting me out on this non-date. It was great practice for next week when we try the real thing."

"Try nothing, next week we will go out and have a great time. Don't give me any of this 'try' crap." He relayed in complete seriousness.

Their eyes held each other for the briefest of breaths before Lindsay surprised him by stepping into his personal space and wrapped him into hug. In ways it was much more intimate than any kiss they shared. He hadn't been this close to her since before Ruben died. He denied her the chance to support him. He was fully embraced in her arms. Danny forgot how perfectly molded together and how comforting it felt to have her near.

His arms snaked around her lower body and made their circle complete. Breaths and heartbeats could be felt. He rocked them slowly back and forth and he wished there was music to blame the movement on. He tightened himself around her and hoped time would slow. The breeze carried her unique scent through him and he was home. In a perfect world they'd take the same cab to one of their apartments and be together. Nothing would make him happier. Well except…

"Montana," he didn't move away from her, but she could feel his posture change. "You don't think we might be able to go through that kiss at the door tonight do ya?"

"And on that note, Messer," she squeezed one more time and pulled away, "I say good night and see you tomorrow."

In the cab and lowered the window to say one more good night to him.

"'Night Montana."

And he didn't go without that kiss. She blew him one from the cab and it was caught with a whisper to the wind. "Hopefully a promise of what's to come."

**_I am back to writing again. The only thing standing in my way is life, job, children...anyway, I will be updating as soon as I can. _**

**_Let me know what you thought please. I am hungry for that feedback...feed me._**


	7. Trial Dates and Overstuffed

**I'm back...Did ya miss me? Read this and let me know.**

Lindsay was going back to court. It wasn't one of her favorite places to be, but she was heading back into a courtroom for evidence purposes. After receiving the news she went to 'records' and pulled the file to review the details of the case. Any spare moment that she had was spent refreshing her memory and taking note to help her identify the most important points. Photos, witness statements, timelines, point by point descriptions of the evidence and lab results made up the three inch thick file that was going to be her best friend for a while.

**

Danny arrived on the 35th floor after a powwow in the morgue with Sid about a theory of his for the case he was on. Most of the lights in the offices he passed were dim since it was an hour passed standard quitting time. All he needed to do was shut down his computer and straighten things up for the next day. He doubled his pace to a quick walk to speed up the process. It shouldn't take him too long and he'd be in front of the TV watching the game in no time flat. A well earned type of relief from the long day.

Abruptly, he came to a stop in the doorway of the office and found his beautiful partner playing queen of the paper blizzard that happened on her desk and she had no clue he was standing there looking at her. She should have been on her way home already but with the trial coming she would stay until she was completely through with the file or someone made her go home. She was thorough, she was a stickler for getting it right. She didn't need to exhaust herself with the task when she had over a week to get it done.

"Hey Monroe?" He quietly called as not to startle.

"Yeah, Danny." A page was turned and studied.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure thing, hold on a second," came her reply but it was translated to 'I'm not paying any kind of attention to you and in two minutes I will forget that you are even standing there let alone the fact that we had this conversation.'

Danny observed her focus grow on the sheets in front of her and a steady hand make a few more notes on her pad. Another page was turned, a photo looked at, and she forgot or really didn't even realize that he was still standing at the door.

He moved himself just inside the office and leaned against the wall that was behind her and out of sight. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and widened his stance. This was his rare chance to stare at the woman he had a hard time keeping his hands off of and plagued his dreams. There was a fierce attention that she was giving to her work and made comments out loud to herself. She worked with precision and purpose. Not a move or thought was wasted.

"Hey Linds." He called out again. This time there was no quietly to it. He meant to startle and break the hypnotic trance she was in. It worked. She jumped, shoulders raised and palms went flat on the desk to steady her. She held this position as he spoke again. "Let's go."

"Danny what are you talking about?" Gritted teeth held the words back but he still understood. She tried to pick up where she left on the time line. If one piece of evidence was out of place or couldn't be explained away then they as a lab were in deep trouble.

"A minute ago I asked if you were ready and you said to hang on a second. Your second is up and it's time to go." He motioned out to the hall to emphasize his point. A look was tossed over her shoulder because she still didn't have a clue. The cluelessness morphed into annoyance. He gave her the best innocent look he had before continuing. "I owe you dinner on a random night and I chose this one, come on."

Lindsay formulated in her mind that Danny was crazy. They had no conversation about 'holding on a second' and she had so much work to do. Didn't he see that? If not she was going to tell him.

"And before you say a word about how important the work on your desk is, I know that the trial does not start until a week from Monday. You have two whole weekends to become one with the case. So it can sit."

The wind went out of her sail and she had no argument, nothing to keep her from leaving with him. Time to change tactics. 'So this is the night you chose for our date."

"Uh-huh."

"Some charmer you are. Don't even give a girl the chance to go hom and clean up. Where are the flowers, chocolates? This is your genius plan for sweeping me off my feet?."

"This was supposed to be a spur of the moment random dinner."

"On a night that we had nothing else to do." Two hands waved over the obvious work that she was trying to do.

"And you can do it tomorrow. Come out with me." He whined.

"And we've resorted to begging?"

"If it gets you to come out with me, sure."

Lindsay took her sweet time to ponder the offer. She over exaggerated the act and tapped her chin as if in deep thought. She was going to go with him, but he needed to sweat a little. "I get to pick where we eat?"

"Sure, sure." He rocked from heel to toe, heel to toe gently not wanting to seem to eager.

She looked back at the case covering he work area as another stall tactic. Then she carefully put the sheets back in numerical order and then slipped them back into their jacket. And way to painfully slow for Danny's taste, she put everything away and gathered her bag. With snail speed the desk lamp was turned off and she swiveled towards him. "Well, what are you waiting for, let's go."

**

Danny groaned as they exited the small eatery. Along with his groan came a wobble from eating too much. "Next time I give you free reign of where we eat, remind me of tonight." Lindsay snuck passed her escort holding the door open and paused to wait for the other to pass. The side walk outside the chocolatier was la little less crowded than when they went in but that was the story all night. The shop they just left was the fourth stop of their dinner. Lindsay wanted egg rolls, then she wanted hot wings, next a steamed ham and swiss sub, and finally the triple chocolate tall cake for dessert. Four different tastes from four different places and she ate twice as much as he did at most of their stops. He said she got to pick what they ate and she took full advantage of his offer. His feet were tired from walking place to place and he was more stuffed than the last time he went home for Sunday dinner.

Out in the population of those who were going from here to there, he offered her his arm. It was natural for him to offer it; it was automatic for her to take it. He tucked his elbow to his side, securing her next to him and taking the first step towards her home. Every block traveled that evening was coupled buy a lively conversation based solely on catching up. He asked politely about the health and state of her family. She did the same. He told her what he was doing with all his free time and it didn't surprise her that it had to do with sports on TV and comic books. She filled him in on the details of the trip she had planned for later in the summer to go and see her folks.

Never once was there tension. Never once did anything come up about the day everything turned upside down for him and then them. They laughed, joked, flirted and verbally sparred. He found reasons throughout the night to touch her. A hand to the small of her back to lead her through the crowd, brushed hands while reaching for food and he always had her on his arm while they walked.

He guided her along gently and went in the direction of her building. There was no conversation during the last lef of the night only growing nerves. The night was right. It wasn't the definition of perfect on a romantic scale of any kind, but it was right for them. And the end was fast approaching. Each foot fall was like a passing minute bringing them closer and closer to saying good night. There was hope of a possible kiss at the door but Danny didn't want to ruin anything.

A block and a half away from her door Danny's feet stopped moving. Lindsay caught it immediately and halted. He redirected them to a bench in a small community garden off to one side of the sidewalk. The gears in his head were turning, his brow was intense. She tried to make a connection with him by sliding into his ling of sight but he looked right through her.

"You alright?" It should have been an easy question for him to answer.

"I've been on many dates, had a few girlfriends come and go, one or two of 'em I thought was the one." The words flowed out so evenly that it scared her. "When those relationships ended I never gave a second thought to what life would be like without 'em." Eyes shifted to look straight into her soul. "Never once did one tell me that she was gonna to have to have to learn not to be in love with me." Stopping again, he focused on her hand that he intertwined with both of his when they sat down. "I don't know what to do here. I've never had this unfilled feeling. I never understood what I meant to have someone with me and it took destroying it to want it back." Frustration was drawn on his features but it was more about not having the words he needed. "I know what your lips feel like on mine. I know how it feels to wake up with you next to me and yet I don't want the night to end because it means I have to let go of your hand, walk away, and hope that this is just the beginning." He pressed her smaller hand between both of his larger ones and she leaned into his side as close as she could.

Smaller fingers were laced and unlaced between his, contours smoothed over. The touch was soft and caring. "I know what you're going through." She watched the fingers move together. " I've been dealing with it also. I will always love you." Her other hand brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and paused. "But."

"There's always a 'but' isn't there."

"But, I've got to make sure you're not going to break my heart when I give it to you again."

"Yeah" he brought their hands up and kissed her knuckles quickly. "I'm workin' on not doing that again." Sincerity and sorrow like she had never heard before dressed his words. "Come on, let's get you home before tomorrow." Watch was checked and not a lot of time was left before that happened. "We both have to work in the morning."

She let her head dramatically bounce once and then again in agreement. He stood helping her up from the bench. Danny's arm automatically extended and it was taken, only this time she wrapped herself around it keeping them close.

He was a tough street wise guy who, to the world, dealt with every part of his life with the hard attitude he wore, but Lindsay was learning that there was a much deeper person inside. And maybe the incident in the last year made him evolve a lot quicker than he could handle. The wrong choices were made, yet she loved him enough to wait it out and he was coming around.

The last bit of the journey was short and silent. Each too lost contemplating things said, their time together. Too soon Danny stopped again, this time he moved around to stand in front of her face to face and it was time to say good night.

"Monroe, I had a great time and I want to do this again, soon." Confident man was back and he was nervous. He had her hands in his and swung them way out to the side and down over and over. It was something to do until something better came along.

When their arms were way out in mid swing she stepped into his open arms and touched her mouth to his. The breeze swirled and lights around them dimmed. Breath caught in the back of his throat at the sensation. It was the warmest most comforting feeling in the world. Without forcing things further or scaring him away she pulled at his bottom lip very softly. He stood stock still hoping it wasn't a dream he would wake from.

To Lindsay, it was a test of sorts. Was it still there, was that feeling really still there or was it just a wish upon a memory. The kiss wasn't deep or passionate, but flirty and playful. She strategically held his hands away from her. He wanted to hold her, but Lindsay didn't want the confinement. It turned into a playful game of keep away and the kisses mixed with the laughter. The pulled away, forehead touching, eyes closed.

"Yes, we will go out again soon. But I want to take it slow. Sex between us is not the issue, its all the other stuff that we need to work on." She told him.

He was grinning like a fool. He kissed Lindsay Monroe. Something was going right.

"I figure it will be six months or more before I hop into bed with you again."

BOOM!

Grin was gone and he looked astonished, stunned, like a kid who lost Christmas. It didn't help that she had on serious face. He looked for any indication that she was joking and there was none. There was nothing written on her face, in her eyes or words that told him that she was joking. He searched for something that would be the indication that she was not being straight with him.

She couldn't take it any longer and she broke out into the most sputtering laughter she could find. She fell away from him but he held tight to her hands. Disbelief played across him.

"That was mean."

"Yeah, but you should have seen your face."

His head hung, he was totally duped. When his lifted his chin he was serious again. "Good night Montana. Get inside, I'll see you in the morning at work and just know you'll get yours one day soon." A finger shook in her direction.

"Goodnight cowboy." Slipped from her softly and she was up on tiptoes and at his lips again only for a touch and then again, and again. The last one lingered until it was almost too much to say good bye.

He watched the familiar form disappear behind the front door at the top of the concrete stairs. Studying the building, he waited for the light in her apartment to go on. The amber hue became brilliant and was the only light shining on her floor. At the same time that the light came on his phone came to life.

"Had a great time. See you tomorrow. Doors locked, now go home."

She peered down at him in front of her building from behind the curtain a soon as the text was sent. He shuffled his feet and kicked at imaginary rocks, phone tightly held in his palm. He turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the light in went off in her apartment and dreams were started.

**And they're off. Feed me feedback.**


	8. Fourth of July and Grasshoppers

**This is so short, but to add the next part would have made it go on and on and on and I did not want to do that. Plus its such a fun chapter that I wanted it to stand on its own. It should be up soon. Enjoy.**

Explosions of color lit up the night sky over the open fields of Montana. Lindsay sat on a blanket between the thighs of Danny Messer who held her close from behind. He ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the fiery sky above as the first bursts of color glittered into view. One of his hands rested on her hip and the other pointed skyward while more and more colors appeared. Lindsay lost focus and a shutter passed up her spine when he started to draw lazy circles on bare skin of her side above the edge of her jeans. She wanted to close the rest of the world off and get lost in his touch. A bright red sparkle lit up the heavens and he found the spot between her shoulder and ear that made her melt. Eyes stayed on the simulated show above as masterful lips massaged her neck. Her oohs and ahhs turned into moans of pleasure not felt in a long time. They sat on the edge of the crowd and most were looking above thankfully. Mid summer aromas of barbeque and fresh cut grass mixed with the acrid leftovers from the pyrotechnics. That was summer, that was wonderful; she was in heaven and wanted to stay.

The hand on her hip inched across her stomach, brushing against bare skin again and he pulled her closer when his arm was fully around her middle. She reached up and behind his head to hold him to her. The explosions could be felt in her body, eyes closed and the fireworks were forgotten. Danny worshiped her the best he could in the public venue, vibrations rattled and colors still flashed.

"You alright?" Quiet words asked.

"Um-hm." Came her reply. It was breathy and a mix between a sigh and a wish.

"Lindsay?"

Lazy, haze filled eyes of the woman in question opened to address the voice that wanted to interrupt what was looking to be an interesting night under the stars. Blinking she tried to take in what was around her and the open field disappeared. The break room surrounded her. Danny wasn't behind her; it was the hard edge of the counter. In her hands was a half drunk warm can of soda and the air was filling with the scent of burning popcorn not barbecue. Stella entered the small room and saved the microwave from further damage by opening the door and dropping the charred bag in the trash can. The final wisps of the fantasy drifted away and Lindsay became aware of her surroundings.

"Wow, that must have been some daydream." Stella probed hoping to get details from the younger woman.

"No, just running case theory and still getting no where." Lindsay tried to cover, badly.

"Right." The other woman knowingly responded.

Lindsay's cheeks reddened with embarrassment and Danny chose that time to come into the small room. "So, you're the one stinkin' up the place." He addressed his boss, but she pointed a single digit at Lindsay who reddened even further. She dug quickly into a drawer for a granola bar and left the two coworkers staring after her. "What was that all about?" He wondered outloud.

"She was totally lost in thought when I came in. She blamed it on trying to piece together a case, but the smile she was wearing leads me to believe that it had nothing to do with work." Stella's glare fixed on Danny. "You know anything else that would consume her thoughts so deeply?"

**

Lindsay wandered back to her desk depressed she was in New York. Montana was where she was supposed to be but the holiday weekend and a scheduling mix up left her travel plans pushed to the end of the summer. She was not looking forward to the celebrations the city would be throwing in two days time.

More pressing was that she burned her snack and the granola bar just an excuse to leave the snack break room. She hated the things. Flopping down into her chair she threw the cardboard substitute on her desk. There wasn't any time to get anything else to eat and hours to go before she could sleep. She couldn't risk running into Danny or Stella in the break room again and there was no food left in tthere anyway. Pushing the hunger from mind, she got back to work.

A half an hour crawled by and she made no progress. Between the empty stomach and the effect her daydream had on her, she was useless. For the next twenty minutes she surfed the net, played with her hair, drummed on the desk with pencils and read what she was trying to work on over and over. Giving up, her head fell onto her arms in defeat. The groans from her stomach echoed off the glass walls.

Then her nose picked something up. Oh, it was heavenly. Tomato sauce, cheese, onions, spicy pepperoni…someone in the lab was eating pizza. Someone in the lab smuggled food in and didn't have the decency to share with her. She was going to have to find this person distract them and steal the hot gooey nourishment. If they didn't want to share, she did carry a gun. She would search high and low. A plan formulated in her head.

The search would be short. There would be no sneaking around corners or creeping up behind people. Raising her head from the desk she came eye to eye with the object of her fantasies and it was being held by her handsome partner. He was scrolling down through ESPN's website and devouring a huge slice of the cheesy goodness.

Danny couldn't give a good description of what happened, but within seconds a good sized chunk of his pizza was gone and a very embarrassed Lindsay held his wrist firmly while chewing on something. The passerby would have seen Lindsay launch herself from the chair, round the end of both desks and in a flash and in one motion grab Danny's arm to force the pizza into her mouth while she thrust herself partially over his shoulder. Ashamed by her actions she slinked back to her desk and avoided any large movements.

The remains of his piece was set down on a paper towel. With another he wiped his mouth and hands. "All you had to do was ask. I got you something of your own. I was just waiting until your little nap was over."

It was her birthday. Danny produced a white Styrofoam box from under his desk. "You are my favorite person right now." She gushed. No time was wasted opening the box, yet the steamy aroma was absent. Visual inspection confirmed it…no pizza. Instead there was a plate of gummy worms next to a bag of gummy spiders. Another bag was filled with what turned out to be chocolate covered grasshoppers. There was no pizza hiding.

"wha?" She grunted rather than found the words of displeasure.

"Huh?" he spied over the box lid. "Oh, wrong box, that's dessert." Another box was produced from under the desk and passed hand over hand. "What you have could be a replacement for mealworm spaghetti or fried tarantula. You can get all the grasshoppers for yourself. The last ones gave me heartburn. That's your slice."

"What makes you think I'll eat those?" She moved the box of sweets out of the way to make room for the other box, but gestured to the real insect snack he bought her.

"Never bet on a country girl, she'll eat anything. I learned that years ago." He went back to his own slice while she started eating hers. She tried to work and eat, but she was back in fantasyland and under the sky and nestled in his arms.

"What case were you thinking about when you burned the popcorn? I didn't know you were on a case. I thought Mac cleared your load since you were prepping for trial." Deer in the headlight look was what he got along with Lindsay and a mouthful of pizza.

"I was going over my testimony."

His nose could smell a pile of crap from a mile away, but his ears could hear it even clearer.

**

"So…Friday." He broached walking out of the building that night, Lindsay connected to his side.

"What about it?"

"I'm on secondary call and you're off."

"Yes?" He wasn't getting to the point and she wanted to go home.

"You wanna hang out with me until I get called in or hang with me all day and go down to the river to see the fireworks?"

Body shutters shook her; she could still feel him behind her from the last daydream about being under the brilliant sky. "That would be great." It came out a little too excited and a little too dreamy.

"You mind if we stop at my Ma's?"

"As proof that you're trying to make things right?" She teased.

"Yeah, yeah, that's part of it. But I also go over there at some point during the 4th. You worked last year and…anyway its food and family."

"This is your way of getting free food." She ribbed. "And yes, that sounds great."

"I'll be 'round to grab ya at two. After food, find the perfect spot for fireworks." He kissed her lightly on the side of her head and then went his way.

Lindsay didn't miss the choice of words he used.

**Feed me. I am afraid that interest is lessening and if that is the case I would like to know and I can work harder. Feed me and let me know.**


	9. Family and Fireworks lots of 'em

**_Longest chapter for you loyal readers who have patiently waited. Welcome to a few who have been busy reading the small catalog of stories. Thank you for adding me to all your alerts. This was written and rewritten and the final draft was edited on a caffeine high so sorry about that. This is to all of those who have stuck with me, reviewed, added me to alerts and love the relationship that is Danny and Lindsay. I miss all their screen time._**

His knock sounded on her front door moments after she was finished getting ready. A late night reading in bed meant she slept late and then spent a lazy morning doing nothing until it was time to get dressed for the rest of the day. The rhythmic tap at the door announced Danny's arrival and she checked the mirror one more time: red tank, denim shorts and NYPD hoodie for later would be her patriotic wardrobe for the day.

"Wow, you look good." Were the words that accompanied the hungry wolf scan of her choice of clothes and a more than friendly kiss. "Ready?"

And that was the last normal thing Danny did, but "normal" is just a setting on the washing machine right? He changed once the truck pulled away from the curb and into the thicker than usual holiday traffic. Lindsay used her detective skills and observed an anxious, nervous, stressed man. He pulled at his forehead with his fingers and thumb, checked the time numerous times. It was silent in the cab other than the police radio that crackled to life and his sighs that were forced out of his body. He couldn't sit still and never looked away from the traffic around them. There was something bothering him and she had a feeling that it had something to do with the directions they were traveling. Cars were not going fast enough for his liking and he swerved in and out of traffic, this way and that to get around them. Colorful words were mumbled as they got closer and closer to crossing the river and the tension had to be broken.

"Where are we watching the fireworks from?"

"Uh, there's a place right on the river between where two of the barges are anchored that I know about." His words were flat and unemotional.

"You watched from there before? Is it very crowded?" Her words went unheard. Driving with his right hand, he shook his watched down his left wrist and checked the time again. Hands switched on the wheel and the stress level increased. Lindsay turned sideways in her seat. "Okay, what's the deal?"

"Huh?"

"Danny if there was room, you'd be pacing. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Really? Because you are exhibiting textbook signs of a guy who is trying to lie his way through an interrogation." The death stare topped off her words and she hoped he would like her way.

"In the last 24 hours I've imagined how this was gonna go and it never ended well."

"What do you mean?"

"Um, I haven't been home in almost three months. When I told Ma that we really weren't seeing each other anymore and the reason why, I made myself scarce. I don't know what kind of reception I'm gonna get and then when you walk in on my arm…"

"And what do you really think is going to happen?" She interrupted, hardly believing what she was hearing come out of this grown man's mouth.

"We get there. Ma treats you like the long lost relative from Alaska while I sit in the corner and wait for my lecture about how if I screw this up again she'll drop me from the family and adopt you."

He looked away from the road for the first time and into her face ashamed of what he might see there. She gave him the most sympathetic frown she could muster and covered his hand laying between the seats with hers. She drew lazy circles on the back with her thumb. The crazy drivers seemed to thin out and the atmosphere in the truck eased.

Lindsay and Danny shared a moment. With the soothing touch of a hand he felt better. It was so simple, no huge expensive, elaborate, contrived, planned out method of support or comfort. No set-up, therapy, or psychoanalysis. Nothing more but a look and a touch and she made things better. Danny accepted the implications of the moment and moved his hand on top to weave their fingers together. The matched set was brought to his lips for a kiss. The clenched hands were held close to his chest over his heart.

The concrete, glass, and steel forest gave way to driveways, front yards, and families walking their dog on the sidewalk. It wasn't noisy or hurried. It wasn't smashed together and anonymous. It was nothing like what most people imagined when the business capital of the world was spoken of but it was still New York.

From previous visits, Lindsay knew that they were getting close. Danny released the hold he had on her hand to grip the wheel tighter at a stop sign. He turned onto what she remembered was his street and the truck inched its way closer and closer to their destination. Cars lined both sides of the suburban lane and there was nowhere to park. License plates from all over the northeast were represented.

"Wow, 4th of July is big around here. Do all your neighbors have family picnics?" It was just something to talk about and break the rising nerves she felt rolling off of him. He maneuvered the truck carefully onto the end of the driveway at his parents' house and it didn't seem to bother him much that the tailgate was hanging out into the street. It was guarded somewhat by the cars that were parked at the curb from oncoming traffic.

"Nope, all these cars belong to people who are here with Ma and Pop."

She was making an attempt to catch up to him as he exited the vehicle, but failed at his words. "How many people are here?"

"Maybe seventy or so."

"And you chose today, not only to come home for the first time in months, but also to drag me here. Thanks." It was sarcastic but light. She meant it but slightly jokingly.

The direction he was leading them to was towards the open gate on the side of the house rather than the front door. The melody of a summer oldies station could be heard and the grill was hot. Charcoal and lighter fluid smells were thick. Chatter of happy voices carried on the breeze. There were a lot of people around. Each step closer was heavy. Every inch was calculated. She followed his lead and it was slow. There was an internal battle going on. He didn't want to be there and yet he wanted to get this first visit over with.

Without thinking she stopped them and whirled him around to stand in front of her. His eyes questioned the action, hers were deep in thought. No one was arriving to see them just standing there at an impasse. Lindsay's brain was spinning. He needed to be thrown off balance a bit, to be off center. A brilliant idea came to and her lips were on his. She kissed him hard and strong. He stumbled back a step, not ready for the impact and tried to figure out what was going on. He hadn't caught up to the plan and her head tilted a bit for a better angle. He finally leaned in and participated in what was going on. The kiss went a little longer and deeper than planned and both came away breathless.

"Montana, not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but what the hell was that for?"

Dizzy and gaining her own balance, "before we go back there I just wanted to have something to look forward to for later." Another kissed landed quickly on its target. "And there's a whole lot more where that came from."

He was left to swim through the images that comment created and she left him standing in the daze while she entered the party.

**

Danny didn't know what lucky sstar he was sitting under but he owed somebody big. The afternoon went nothing like he imagined and he was sitting on a blanket, running his fingers though Lindsay Monroe's hair waiting for the fireworks show to start. She had her head on one of his legs using it as a pillow. Her hands were busy with a Rubick's cube that she swiped from his old bedroom. He made some childish remark about her not being able to solve the puzzle and it hadn't bee idle since. She got comfortable and he got lost in the memory of what occurred in the hours previous.

The party was great and the two were never more than five feet away from each other. Lindsay sought out Mama Messer and greeted her warmly the first chance she got rather than prolonging the inevitable and made light, or tried to, of the issues behind them. Danny recovered from the kiss and caught up to her just as the two women were pulling away from a hug. Lindsay did not give Mama the chance to say much more than 'hello' before she went looking for others to meet. If Mama looked like she was about to pull Danny aside for a butt chewing, Lindsay drug him in the opposite direction to yet another person for introductions. There were many interesting and colorful people to meet and she met them all.

The food was a whole other story. After about forty- five minutes of playing cat and mouse with Mama it was time to eat. Lindsay followed Danny as he piled potato salad, beans, hot dogs, chicken, burgers, chips, pickles, and whatever else was on the buffet onto both their plates. There was a story with almost each food: "this was a family recipe" or "so and so is famous for bringing this each year." They sat off to one side of the yard and worked down the mountain of offerings. He would never know where it all went but his partner went back to the line for seconds. It was nice to have so much time before the start of the festivities because he was stuffed and needed time to digest.

Good-byes were said. He was sure to keep them short and sweet with the promise to start showing up Sundays again for lunch when he could. Danny walked her back to the truck but blocked the door and went in for a hug and kiss of his own. He was so serious and hoped that what he was feeling was translated through his kisses. Each brush of his lips was a thank you for being there. Each touch was in appreciation for running interception between he and his mother. Each kiss was an overwhelming rush of love.

"Thank you for being you."

The drive back was easier. She made comments and asked questions about the family and friends she met and he filled in the blanks of stories she half heard. He held her hand and the suburbs morphed back into the jungle. The day was nothing like what he imagined. It was the opposite and many hours were still yet to come.

She fitled and futzed with the cube and relaxed under his touch. Events of the earlier hours bounced in both of their heads. To anyone else, they looked like two people so deep in love. Danny's touch was gentle and attentive. Hypnotic and mindless strokes slid through her hair while he watched the people arrive around them. Older couples, teenagers, families – they were all out enjoying the weather and atmosphere. He envied thouse married couples and felt lucky to have the second chance to work towards something like that. A grunt of frustration came from the beautiful creature laying in his lap. The cube twisted and turned under the guide of her delicate fingers and it was stumping her to no end.

"So what are you missin' right now by bein' here instead of back home?"

A cute little wrinkle formed when she scrunched up her nose to think. "Just my family" The cube was forgotten when she looked to meet his gaze. "That's pretty much the only difference."

"Oh, you got someone back home that you'd be usin' as a pillow?" He teased.

"Yeah, I got a few people back there who would make the sacrifice."

"I like you bein' here." So few words said so much.

A radio in the crowd turned to one of the stations broadcasting the music for the presentation announced that there was only ten minutes before they started.

"Come 'ere." He started to move and forced Lindsay to sit up. He patted the open space of blanket in front of him and helped guide and position her in front of him. "Now lean back." He told her. It had been a while, but they still fit together perfectly. Movie nights, afternoons in the park, late night bubble baths that he never would admit taking – this is how they sat. Her body molded to him like always. Two arms encircled her waist and he held her closer than he had been allowed to for a while. Warmth seeped into him from her and the two puzzle pieces were back together. A deep breath in, a squeeze of the arms and he was a goner.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Nah, just making sure you're comfortable. You good?"

No, I think I want to go back to how we were a minute ago." Playfully she tried to pull away from him, but that wasn't happening.

"Nope, you're here now, might as well stay." The words went straight into her ear. And burrowed further back into him. His chin came to rest on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms over his.

"Yes, I'm good, thank you very much."

The sky was dark and there wasn't a lot of light illuminating where they were sitting. Most of the buildings surrounding the spectator areas were dimmed for the performance. Time loomed closer and closer. The music on the radio started to build to a dramatic blast off. Lindsay closed her eyes to make a memory.

BOOM!

"Open your eyes," he whispered to her. "You're missin' it."

"Oh, I don't think I missing anything."

He tightened the hold he had around her. For her it wasn't about the colors flashing overhead. It was about the company, his touch and how it still thrilled her and sent chills down her spine. Hands wandered and found bare skin just above the edge of her shorts. Following the barrier, his hands met again in the middle and held on tight.

Not to be out done, her own hands and fingers went walking up and down the length of his jean covered legs that rested against hers. Scratching, rubbing, massaging from hips to thighs to knees and to his butt, what she could reach of it. The gasps of excitement about the show changed to groans of pleasure. It was becoming too much like her dream.

The explosions rattled her chest and shook the ground. The bright flashed could still be seen through her eyelids. It was sensory overload. His touch, his warmth, the vibrations, light from the fire above, his cologne creeping into her mind his body in her hands, the lips nibbling at her neck…it was all deafening. The music grew and gew. Their intensity grew along with the beat. Hands held his head to her neck as she rolled to one side for better access and scrunched fistfuls of hair between her fingers.

The grand finale exploded overhead and it went on and on. The music crescendo-ed and reached its peak before coming to a triumphant end and fading away like the smoke disappearing into the sky above. There was applause and the people around them started to pack up.

"We're gonna stay right here for a while and wait." The words spiraled into her mind. Lips were close to her ear. The slightest move on either of their parts and the two would come together. "When things clear a bit, I'll take you home." That sounded perfect because she couldn't move if she wanted to. It was still dim and the extra shadows his their closeness. He snuggled and cuddled the woman in front of him as close as he could in the darkness because Danny Messer did not do such things. The body against him writhed in concert with his movements, making it more difficult to call it a night. He wanted so much more before the morning came, but erred to the side of caution. "I want to take you out to dinner next week." He quietly laughed at the words that were about to come out of his mouth, but they couldn't be stopped. "Look you promised me drinks after this, but I think I'm gonna needs some dinner too."

It took her back. It took her back to that roof where he help with the water tower case and held her so securely for the demonstration. It was the first time she experienced those strong arms holding her and keeping her close. It was the first time she called him 'cowboy'. She was sorry to see it end and dinner occurred a few nights later consisting of a pizza, her treat, in the office while working on another case.

"Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

**_So there is it. The next chapter talks about how the date went. (hahaha)._**

**_Review please. Who is still out there after my absence? _**


	10. Date Nights and Shared Information

**Now, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. I have to admit I used another fic from an old show no longer on the air to write a scene for this. And when I started writing and just kept going. Enjoy.**

Lindsay and Stella worked in a layout room on the evidence from a case they pulled late the night before. Three were victims found dead the night before in different locations were linked. They were killed in the same manner and they all had the same business card in their hand. Danny walked by the glass and caught Lindsay's attention. He gave her a smile and a nod as he quickly passed the room she stood in. She shyly waved back and refocused on the work she was doing, hoping he'd keep going instead of stopping in to say 'hello'. She watched out of the corner of her eye suspiciously until he was around the corner and out of sight and a deep sigh was released. The whole scene didn't get missed by the boss lady. She let Lindsay get back into what she was doing before she started the conversation she was dying to have.

"So, um…sorry about pulling you away you away from dinner last night." Stella moved items around to keep working but didn't pay much attention to what she was doing.

"It was a triple, I understand, all hands on deck."

"So you and Danny…" She left it open to see where it went.

"Yeah, first date – take two." The sarcasm couldn't be missed. Lindsay rolled her eyes and that was missed by the other person in the room.

"How was it going, before we called you in, of course?"

"To be honest, Stell, I wish the bodies were reported forty-five minutes earlier."

"Was it really that bad?"

"It would rank up there with one of the worst dates I've ever been on and that doesn't count the dead bodies. He went out of his way and comfort zone to set up a proper first date with the flowers, the wine, a wonderful meal and it just all went wrong."

Stella wanted to hear this. "How so?"

"We started out at the wrong restaurant." Stella's face asked 'really?' "He thought we were going to the one on the east side and it ended up that the reservation he made was for the one on the west side. I almost broke a heel on the way out of the first place we went and twisted my ankle a bit. As you know…" She flourished the point with a wave of her hand. "…there was a down pour last night and we couldn't get a cab. We stood exposed to the rain, because there was no awning in front of the restaurant and got soaked until a car finally stopped and we did make it across town in time to make the reservation." Stella wanted to laugh but held it in. They had such bad luck. Lindsay's rant continued. "While waiting for the next table to become available we had a much needed drink in the bar. I turned around when our name was called and this woman crashed into me spilling my drink and hers down the front of my dress. This "woman" was an ex of Danny's and was convinced that they ran into each other by the guidance of the stars and they should rekindle their relationship on the spot. The call from Mac did not come a moment too soon."

Stella couldn't hold it any longer and erupted in laughter that echoed off the walls.

"It was the date from hell." Lindsay tried to sound convincing but her own laughter forming deep inside deceived her. The whole thing sounded crazy. Through her own growing laughter that was becoming out of control she continued further. "And when Mac called my phone the other woman butted her way between Danny and I while my back was turned. I got off the phone and then Danny's rang. On the way out to the cab he tells me that 'we'll have to try it again another night'." The two women were in tears and howling by then, each trying to stay standing by holding onto the table. Their sides hurt.

"How did your other first date go?" Stella questioned out of breath still wiping tears.

"We ended up having sex on his pool table, he took my shift the next morning to let me sleep in and he was kidnapped by Irish drug thugs, only to have seven colors of crap beaten out of him." It really wasn't funny but the women lost their senses again and this time it drew the curious attention of those passing by. One person even stopped in to ask about the joke they were laughing at.

"Maybe it's a sign not to go on first dates with Danny Messer." Stella passed to the other woman.

"No kidding."

Mac had to step out of his office to see where the new cycle of laughing was coming from.

**

A post-it was stuck to her screen a week later. 'Oh, we're back to trinkets and notes again.' Lindsay uttered to no one.

"Did you ever receive and anonymous phone call? Pizza your place 9PM."

The two statements did not go together. She was confused but shrugged it off. "So it's first date – take three."

**

9 PM sharp there was a knock at her door. Ready to hear the answer of what the note meant, she thrust the door open hoping to see Danny. The note's words could not be deciphered in her brain.

But there was no Danny.

"Hey Sam."

"Hey Miss Monroe. This was called in for you." He handed her the single pizza box and left.

Her foot got the door closed. She set it down and waited for Danny's arrival to start eating. It was odd that he only called in one pizza; together they could easily eat a pizza and a half. The box sat on the coffee table and she waited. The smell of the melty, gooey cheese and green peppers called to her.

Her phone danced next to the pizza box.

"Hello?"

"Your cat's in my garden." He whispered.

"Are you in traffic? I can hardly hear you."

"Your cat's in my garden."

"You only ordered one pizza, not hungry or something?"

"Your cat's in my garden."

Lindsay's light bulb moment. Anonymous phone calls, cat's in my garden, did it turn you on? She had this conversation with him in their office one day. She had to think quickly.

"Oh she is, is she? I'll bring her in tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling." And she hung up.

5-4-3-2-buzz.

"'Lo?"

"Did you really just hand up on me?"

"Did you just really try and start a phone sex conversation with me when you're supposed to be over here having dinner?"

"We haven't got the greatest history with first dates. I have my pizza with me; I thought we would talk on the phone and have dinner."

"Get over here." She told him rolling her eyes at his goofiness.

"I'm around the corner, be right there."

**

August changed to September but you couldn't tell by the weather. It was still hot and muggy and they wished for crimes to happen at night when the sun was on the other side of the earth. Daylight hours brought sunlight and heat to the street level where it was absorbed by the asphalt and made things worse for the people walking everywhere.

According to Mac, Danny and Lindsay were back 100% to pre-spring form. It showed in their work. Their minds were in sync and processed the same way. Theories were assumed and sentences finished. Flack said something to both lab supervisors about how fluid it was to work with them again out on cases.

Two or three of their nights away from the lab were spent together seeing a movie, having dinner, taking walks, making out like teenagers on the couch. Their time on the couch only went so far and then stopped. It wasn't right yet. But on nights they weren't together they spoke on the phone just before turning in or sent a text to let the other know they were home from a late night. Yep, they were almost back to how they were.

Almost.

Both still played it cautious. Late nights didn't go too late. There were still definite boundaries that were not crossed. That didn't mean the want and the urge wasn't there. At the end of evenings together both wondered privately why they hadn't gone that one extra step and were left emotionally frustrated.

**

She found a football, full regulation sized football, on her desk in the middle of the month, September 17, 2008. The note stuck to the laces seemed so small compared to it. His message was very to the point: "Your knowledge of the sport might be dangerous. I might ask you to marry me…properly one day."

And there it was. She knew the case the reference came from. Now it was written down. Yeah, that won't be playing out in her mind when they are together. The first one was a joke, how serious was this? She rolled the ball back and forth on the desk top while staring at the note stuck to her fingers until it was time to go home. Lindsay packed it away with all the other notes in her bag and closed up for the night. It wasn't too late and she had no plans with Danny so she was homeward bound.

She pressed the down button calling the elevator and alternated between watching for the arrows above the door to light up and the light on the button to go out. Both announced the arrival of the box that would take her away from there but it was taking forever.

"Montana." Her partner…friend…boyfriend..her something hurried towards the small lobby. "You have plans for dinner?"

"Just whatever I get on the way home." One light when off, the other went on and the doors opened. "Why, you have a better offer?"

"Yeah, but I have a stop to make first, if you're up to it."

"You're on."  
**

"Danny, the hospital was not what I was expecting." She followed his lead to the train and back up to the street before he made the turn into the all too familiar building.

"I know. We'll get somethin' to eat after, but I got a reminder call today that it was time to give blood again." More of an explanation would be the only way to wipe away the confused look Lindsay wore. "You can only donate blood every two months…well a little less than that but I have them call and remind me when I can."

She had no idea. She was astonished and somewhat proud too. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Ever since Louie was brought to this hospital."

"And then Stella and Flack soon after." Flowed out of her as she recalled the events of that spring.

"Right. Louie needed it when he came in and I stayed in the habit of giving' when I could." A firm hand clasped around hers and held it to his heart. "I want to thank you again for what you did for me back then."

A smile and a nod accompanied the "you're welcome" she gave. A nurse greeted them and showed them to a curtained off area. She worked on one arm while Lindsay held onto the other one.

"You doing alright today Detective Messer?" The nurse kept a close eye on the interactions between the two people in front of her.

"Yeah Caroline, I'm good."

She looked from the male then the female and then back down to the arms she was about to stick. "This must be Lindsay." Caroline didn't stop her work and kept up the polite conversation but it startled the woman in question to hear her name come from the lips of a stranger.

"Yes, this is Lindsay." Danny filled in.

"He talks about a lot you when he's a pint low. The more I take the more I hear." Lindsay looked horrified. "Don't worry I cut him off and give him a cookie if he starts saying too much." All the while she hooked him up and started the process. "Alright, I'll be back in a minute."

When she was up and out of earshot, Danny leaned over to Lindsay. "Don't worry; I didn't say anything too bad."

"Yeah right." The nurse hollered back at them.

**

Lindsay was having the strangest sense of déjà vu. They were exiting the hospital differently then they entered. The path they were taking went right through the ICU unit. Louie and Flack both spent lots of time there, which meant the whole team spent lots of time there, including long hours logged by Lindsay and Danny.

They neared the end of the hall where the double doors led out to a main hallway and the elevators. Flack's room was behind the blinds to the left. The couch where Stella and Mac sat waiting that first night was gone and a more comfortable looking one replaced it. There was always someone from the lab on that couch. It was mostly occupied when anyone had been shooed out by doctor's needing to check vitals or by nurses who needed to bathe Flack or change the bedding. The couch was probably replaced because they wore it out with all the hours they were there.

"I was tempted to kiss you that night." Words from _his_ mouth broke the silence.

"Which night, there were so many spent here." She laughed off his comment.

A cloud of serious followed them to those double doors at the end of the corridor. "The first night we were here with Flack. I drove you home. We'd been doin' our dance for a while."

"How far did we get?" He held the door open for her to pass through.

"I only wanted to get a kiss from you that night."

She shook her head and stopped. "Where did you imagine kissing me?"

"I thought about it all the way to your place in the truck and tried to work up the nerve to do it when we got to your building."

"When I imagined it, we never made it passed this point." She bit her lip and looked at him.

"What are _you_ talking about?"

"That night you dropped me off, that night that you wanted to kiss me at the door, I had already imagined it happening right here in this hallway."

"Really?" He bounced on the balls of his feet and looked chipper.

"Yeah."

"Huh." He sounded, thinking about the information just shared. An arm extended for her to take and she hooked her hand around his elbow. They walked out into the still thick humid air, talking about plans for dinner, both thinking about kisses that didn't happen.

**

"What was it like?"

Dinner turned out to be meatball subs they carried to her place. She had a mouthful and was licking the sauce from her thumb. "What was what like?"

The woman he loved so much was hunched over the coffee table, elbows on her knees, hair falling into her face and pasta sauce on the corner of her mouth. The question on his mind was replaced by chuckles. He wanted to question her imagined first kiss and she looked nothing like the dreamy romantic female that must have played a starring role in her mind.

"Nothin'" The humor came out even though he tried to hide it and he went back to his dinner.

"No, what do you wanna know about?" The fact that she was trying to be so serious made it even funnier.

"Nothin', don't worry about it." He insisted.

Curiosity is an evil consuming thing and it was eating her from the inside. She finished her sub, wiped her fingers and mouth and threw the napkin on the table. She stared him down. "Okay, what was what like? You wanna know something? Just ask." The challenge was on the table.

"I was just wondering what it was like when you imagined it." This was getting ridiculous.

"Imagine it, imagine what?"

"That kiss in the hallway, what was it like at the hospital?"

"You." She pointed at him with both fingers because her hands were clasped together. "Want to know about a kiss that occurred in my mind over three years ago, after I've shared every other imaginable type of kiss with you already?" Evil eye did not come close to describing the look he was on the receiving end of.

"When you stare me down like you are and put it that way, I guess not."

She gathered the garbage from their dinner and stood up. He started to follow.

"No, I've got this. You…you just stay put." The trash was disposed of and she washed her hands. Lindsay stood at the sink and pondered. They both wanted or at least got as far as fantasizing about starting something with each other long before it happened. Would things have been any different if they had? Lindsay's mind started wishing they had gotten together, but would the murder case back home pushed them apart. Would it have compared to what they went through with Ruben's death? Would they have been able to handle it together if they had more time in a relationship already? Hindsight was not 20/20 and dwelling on it would not help. But even way back then…

Danny wasn't a good listener and was standing behind her as she turned to go back to the couch. In defense and to shield herself from the collision, both arms raised in front of her chest. He caught the surprised woman by her upper arms just below the shoulder and they still bumped heads.

"Whoa." The déjà vu feeling came back to her again.

"What?"

"It started just like that. I was walking down the hall in the hospital ahead of you and turned to questions if we were going the right way." Smile… "We bumped heads and you asked if the cut on my forehead was okay." His thumb went to the place where the nasty gash used to be and then back down to her upper arm. "You told me I should cover it and my response was that sometimes things like that just need to breath. You were so close and my hands slid up the back of your head carefully and I brought my lips to yours. You didn't meet me in the middle or anything and I caught your bottom lip. It took one soft inhale for you to catch on and react. We stood in that hall for a minute and got lost in each other."

He slowly backed her up against the refrigerator. The knick-knacks stored on top rattled when her back collided against the cool metal of the door. She inhaled and took in a deep breath preparing for what _might_ come next. He stared at her, noses inches apart. His hands slid down her arms and laced her fingers between his. He stepped into the only space left between them and pressed him body to hers. They were joined from knees to chest.

The pink tip of his tongue glided across his lips. Eyes followed it on its path before it disappeared. He angled his head and covered her mouth with his own. His lips word her gently but firmly. His tongue sought entrance against her teeth and gums. A stab of pleasure tightened in her abdomen.

Lindsay moaned softly and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. He plunged inside without hesitation. Her body went limp against him. Her head spun with dizziness and body flooded with a warm wave. A hand wiggled free and slipped under the back of his shirt trying to pull him closer.

It was his turn to groan. Her touch was electric and he deepened the kiss further as if to devour her. Never had such hunger been felt. His hands left her arms and held the side of her ribs, grazing the sides of her breasts with his thumbs.

They stood in front of the refrigerator groping each other and kissing until they couldn't breathe. The earth stopped turning. There were only wet warm kisses and hands that roamed. Danny and Lindsay clutched and held onto each other for dear life…or at least love.

Finally they broke apart and her lips followed his looking for more, foreheads touching. They panted for long, otherwise silent moments. His chest rumbled against hers as it rose and fell with each breath. They studied each other for any signs of doubt, love, lust…

Her fingers slid up the front of his shirt and played with the button closest to his neck. Soon the small plastic disk was pushed through the slot and the fabric opened wider. Slowly, methodically more of him appeared to her until he was exposed to her. She was able to retrace the short path up the plane of his chest, pushing the two sides of his shirt aside and finally off his shoulders and down his arms to the floor. Fingers drew on the veins up his arms and hands cupped his face, holding it where she could reach. She drank love from his lips and it flowed freely. The tight hold he had on the wild beast inside was slipping. He would not be backing away; she would have to hit him over the head first.

It was her turn to intensify and deepen the kiss. Tongues dueled for control. Small feminine hands moved down the side of his ribs to hold his waist. Small fingers followed the top edge of his jeans and met in the middle between his belly button and belt buckle. A healthy tug was given to the top of his pants sending a clear and direct message.

The kiss was broken. Arms let go of her and spread out wide at shoulder height. Hips arched forward. He watched all the different emotions play on her face as she focused on the leather, metal and material under her control start to come undone.

**Um...breath...review.**


	11. Author

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and writing but I live in Nashville and if any of you have been watching the news then you know that we are in the middle of a 500 year flood. More details can be found at youtube and search for Nashville flood. Um…most of my energy and time has been spent on recovery and rescue. My school has been closed for five days and we have half the amount of drinkable water than we normally have. I will be back as soon as life gets back to normal.


	12. Chapter 12

_**It's raining here again in Nashville. The historic clean up has been going on for a while, but with more rain a pause needed to be taken. I am down to four more full days of school on top of it all. Here is what I have been thinking of during all that has been going on here. Let me know.**_

The most fragile instant in the morning is where one finds themselves unknowingly between the realm of a deep sleep and the beginning of wakefulness. It's the moment when the mind makes a choice to go deeper into dreamful sleep or start waking up. It's the intermission before one makes the choice to snuggle back into the warmth of the covers that the body has made or to throw back the sheets, lose that cocoon of heat and face the day. Some say it's that nano-flash of a second that someone decides to get up on the right side of the bed or the wrong. This decision, this subconscious switch to wake is flipped or not flipped in a blink of an eye and many factors play into how and when it happens.

If it leads to someone becoming conscious of the fact that a new day has started then the trigger to start the process could have been a sound like that of an alarm, or car honking in the street or even a phone ringing. It could be a feeling like that of someone touching you or the urgency of realizing you were late for work. It could even be the gut urge of something that was forgotten to be done. Smells can also jump start the brain in the morning. The most powerful scent is that of coffee. There is this strange cosmic mental connection made between the scent of the coffee and waking up.

But it wasn't any of these things that roused Lindsay from slumber. It was the internal clock that kicked her brain in the back side and started waking her up. It told her that she'd slept enough and it was time to get up and be productive. The night was over and sleep time was departing. The process of getting in the shower twenty minutes later was a shock to her system and a confusing one.

Lying belly down, head turned looking at the floor, and hanging half off the edge of the bed, Lindsay had visions dancing through her head and it had nothing to do with sugar plums. They were of a man, a man she knew well and this man did things to and with her in these visions that made her squirm where she lay. The movements of her body in bed led to another wonderful discovery: her body ached. Every muscle in her body ached that most pleasurable of aches that only came from a night of tumbling around with another human being. A lazy smile pulled the corners of her mouth up and her arm went blindly looking for the man next to her in bed that was the cause of her visions. The sheets under her hand were cool and smooth. Her hand moved up and down the space in wide arches looking for Danny, but there was no Danny to be found. Turning her head with the least amount of pain possible she used her eyes to aide in the search and still nothing was found. There was no indentation in the pillow from someone's head spending the night sleeping on it. The scent lingering in the air was that of clean fresh sheets instead of the unique mixture of scents that she identified with Danny.

Doing an uncoordinated half push-up, Lindsay raised her body enough to look around the room despite how much her body protested. Nothing unusual jumped out at her. There were no out of place signs that proved that Danny had been there. No clothing trail leading out of the bedroom and down the hall like she remembered. The sheets and covers were straight and not twisted around on the bed or discarded on the floor. There was no proof that anything that she remembered happening between her and Danny actually happened.

She fell back on her stomach and forced all the breath from her lungs which resulted in a very unladylike grunt of frustration. The pillow absorbed most of it. There would have been kicking and pounding of her fists but her muscles protested.

There was only one conclusion: it must have all been a dream, a very good dream. A very involved dream, but a dream non the less. Every touch, every kiss, grab, caress, moan and sigh must have been a sleeping fantasy. And it was the worst kind because there was not actual fun had. It was imagined, one sided, not enjoyed by two people. It was not something that both people would remember or have knowledge of. It was not something that they could share silent looks across the lab about, or flirt with their eyes about while passing in the hall. She had to deal with all the memories on her own and hope that Danny didn't think her crazy when she stared at him imagining, replaying the previous nights acrobatics that only she knew about. What would it be like at work when she saw him?

Oh! No! Work!

She glanced at the clock. She was late. The alarm didn't go off. The first shift of the day started in forty-five minutes. Moving carefully, but quickly, she ducked into the bathroom to start the shower and then detoured into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker to run while she cleaned up and let the hot water work out some of the soreness from the night before. Pausing against the door of the bathroom her image appeared in the mirror. It must have been some dream.

Feet shuffling along the floor was better than true steps; it used fewer muscles. Lindsay yawned a great big, loud opened mouth yawn and stretched. Her fingers worked around the corners of her eyes to get the crusties out and her head rolled to elongate the muscles in her neck. Finally reaching the counter, she steadied herself with both hands. A herculean amount energy and stretching was exhausted to collect the items needed: coffee filters and freeze dried stimulants. The process was taking unusually longer than normal.

Front open.

Filter in.

Lid off the can.

Scoop in hand.

Now the hard part, she had to count and remember how many scoops went into the filter. She was more exhausted than she thought. The little plastic cup dug into the dark brown granules and the aroma filled her senses.

"You don't have to do that." Danny's voice announced from behind her at the table. The first instinct was to go for her gun, but by the second syllable it was all just the rush. Her body's reflex to him startling her was that all the already aching muscles coiled. Her head dropped for a minute to get over the boost of adrenaline the sound of his voice caused. And really any voice would have caused the reaction.

Spinning on a heel, she turned to face his voice but only found an open newspaper hiding his figure. The paper needed to come down. She needed to see him. Was he wearing the same clothes from the day before, was his hair messy…well messier from not being styled for the day? Was there proof that last night wasn't a dream? On the other hand, he did still have a key and he could have just been moved enough to bring her coffee. She stared at the printed oversized page and willed it away. That damn newspaper needed to disappear.

The paper did move but instead of being put down he turned to the next page.

"I got you coffee from that place on the corner I know you like so much. There's a chocolate croissant there for you also."

But she didn't move, the counter became her leaning post and fidgeted. "What are you doing up so early on your day off?"

"I didn't know you kept track of my schedule."

Another paged turned. He was coming close to the last page of the section and it had to go away eventually.

"I always have." The words were meant to sound casual and light, but came out creepy.

"Well." He started and fluffed the paper to fold it up properly and she caught the first sight of him. "I wasn't in my bed, which normally isn't a problem. I mean I can sleep almost anywhere including standing in the corner of the break room if I have to, but…" His grin grew to match hers. "…someone was being a blanket hog and was trying to take her half of the bed out of the middle and some out of all four corners." Lindsay ducked and tried to hide the embarrassment of the accusation he was making. At the same time she was doing the internal spazzy happy dance without showing any signs of it on her face. The first steps towards her seat at the table were taken. "I finally gave up and went for coffee." He pointed to the untouched cup for her and the bag with the pastry. "I'll find a ballgame later this afternoon and lay on the couch for a nap. I hoped you might join me."

"Can't, gotta to get to work?"

"No way, you're off, Hun."

She looked past him, over his shoulder and checked the calendar on the wall. There was no work hours marked. Danny stacked the front page of the paper on top of the rest of the untouched paper and rose from his seat. "Eat up." We have a whole day to waste together." He kissed her temple and disappeared from the kitchen. The bathroom door clicked shut and she heard the shower curtain move.

Usually it would irk her to no end that he took her shower, but not that time. His hair was askew and messy, he did indeed have the same clothes on from the night before and there was stiffness to his step. Either they had the same intense active dream or they had a really good time the night before. The imagined kiss from the hallway at the hospital, which they reenacted in the kitchen, led them to her bed, with a stop at the counter, the couch, the hall, the wall, and the bedroom floor. Hours passed before exhaustion and satisfaction took them away.

And it definitely wasn't a dream, it was real.

She enjoyed her moment and sat a little straighter in the chair and was able to enjoy the strain on her body. Shepicked at the chocolate croissant and the coffee sipped. Feeling the day start to slow down around her and letting the rush of Danny surprising her drain from her limbs, the newspaper called to her. The headlines needed to be read and she had time for it. The story she was following continued to page six and she searched. After finishing the story, pages just turned out of curiosity.

Closer to the back of the section, among the black and white small print were the ads promoting slaes that were occurring over the weekend. Surrounding one particular ad there were red arrows drawn, obviously by Danny's hand. In the best representation that newsprint could provide, the highlighted ad showed a jewelry sale. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings, charms and rings shined their brightest in gray and black tones. To the side in the margin, again in Danny's hand, were his words: "Don't even think about it Montana. It's just an allotrope of the element carbon."

Her first feeling was to laugh at the reference. The jewelry store, the Holly's, connecting all the points to solve the case. But the air became hard to breath in the small kitchen and Lindsay was in that apartment undercover again reliving the explosion in her memory. The flash bomb activated and smoke filled the air while her ears rang. There was disorientation and confusion. She shielded her head and waited for it all to calm down. Stella started screaming at the suspect and then someone was calling her name but it didn't sound like anything she'd ever heard. It was faint as first, unrecognizable due to tone. The dull din in her ears cleared and it became who apparent who was searching the apartment for her. She heard the desperation in Danny's voice as she called her, searched for her, calling again and again and again until she answered. Two arms shot out from his body and yanked her to him. The death grip she had on his vest was nothing compared to how tightly his arms held her to him. The air would clear, the suspect hauled away, and Mac showed up before they moved away from each other.

They finished at the scene and she was never out of his sight. Mac gave her a stern talking to and then was grateful that nothing went wrong. Back in the lab she needed to complete all the paperwork associated with the role she played and he was at her side the whole time. He helped with her coat and rode the elevator with her to the lobby. He walked her to the train and waited for it to leave the station before finding his own way home. Once she was safe behind the locked door of her apartment, she sent out the text he requested: "I'm home, door locked." He was adamant about that text and warned her that he would cross the city to make sure she was safe if it didn't come in.

His immediate response back was to ask her out for drinks to talk about what had happened between them that day. She knew something changed. She heard the emotion; she heard worry, and the desperation in his voice at the scene. It was more than a friendly, colleague concern. There was something deeper to it. The flirting in the past and situation of the day collided, pushing him to take the next step. She always regretted standing him up. And maybe it was a good time to make it up to him.

As fast as her muscles would carry her she left the table, her shirt dropped to the floor and she snuck into the bathroom to take her shower back…or at least share it with him.


End file.
